


The Logical Exception

by TypicallyUntypical



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Guns, M/M, Needles, Physical Abuse, Repression, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, Villain Logic | Logan Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 43
Words: 53,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23021875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TypicallyUntypical/pseuds/TypicallyUntypical
Summary: Some people are born special. Then, there are some who are extraordinary. Virgil, codename Anxiety, and his best friend Patton, codename Morality, have made it their job to protect the citizens of their city from any and all forms of peril. This includes fighting against their strongest foe, Logic. However, things are rarely what they seem in a world of superpowers and suspense. How will Virgil and Patton react when they realize Logic may not be as bad as they assumed? What larger forces are at play?This story will include Violence, Gore, Sexual Innuendo, and Abuse.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 164
Kudos: 292





	1. { The Opening Move }

Second Floor, turn down the hall on the right, then it is the fifth door on the left. The quickest access out of the building will be across the hall on the right. Logan looked at his watch. According to the guard patrol patterns, he would 10 minutes and 13 seconds before the guard passed by again, if he didn’t stop to check his phone. Planning was in the details and it was important to give himself the shortest deadline possible so that he wasn’t surprised by it. Adjusting his tie, Logan began. 

Normally stoic blue eyes clouded over and darkened as his powers shown through, he maintained the needed pressure on all of the security sensors before opening the door and stepping in, not letting go of the sensors until he was sure everything was back in place. “9 minutes and 42 seconds.” He reminded himself before running up the stairs in front of him, each step barely making a sound. Second floor, turn right. 

He made quick, quiet movements, counting each door. “Fifth door on the left.” Once again his eyes lit up with power as he undid the lock on this door as well. “6 minutes 9 seconds.” He was beginning to run low on time. Logan quickly walked to the area where the chemical was being held. This office space belonged to a science lab that would often send their most stable compounds out to be tested on. Each one had to pass through this office for processing. 

Logan’s job was to skim just enough off the top of each vile so that no one would even know it was missing, no theft reports meant no convictions. You could not be punished for something that ‘never happened’. Looking down at his watch he saw how short his time was; 36 seconds. His nerves began to get to him, but once again he adjusted the tie on his three-piece suit. “Now or never.” He pulled out a carrying case that would protect the vile, sliding it in before making his way across the hall. Fastest access out did not always mean the safest. With his powers the window flew open and jumped out of it, swinging from it so his feet would hit the ground first. 

“Anxiety!” He heard the scream before he registered what was happening, but as soon as he heard the sound he knew what it was. Morality must have been in the alley he just landed in. They were running behind schedule. They should have already been done with their patrols for the night. No matter, there was a fire escape with a ladder on the other building next to him. If he positioned himself correctly this would be over in four moves.

“Good Evening Morality, I genuinely was hoping to avoid you tonight.”

Anxiety landed in front of him with a thud, though it was heavier than normal. Why was Anxiety not as light on his feet? A question for another time. 

The darkly dressed hero blocked access to the back road whereas Morality blocked access to the main street. It would be easier to slip into the crowd on the main street. “Ah, and Anxiety is here as well. I guess this was inevitable.” Logan moved to place the vial on the ground. The moment he knew the two heroes were here he had activated his second power. That was the first move, a minor memory manipulation so that they couldn’t remember his face or the item in his hand. Anxiety would take his turn next, but not before Patton made his plea. 

“If you don’t want to fight friendo, you could always turn yourself in.”

“You are both aware that that was never an option.” That was different. He would have to analyze this later. 

Now Anxiety would attack. Logan had their moves memorized just like the periodic table of elements. He slid quickly to the wall, pushing himself flat against it as the shadows shot towards Morality instead. Anxiety was also slower than normal. Was this a side effect of the Creativity twins' disappearance? Again, another question for later. Logan reached up, moving the lock on the fire escape with his powers, it barely hung on. That was move two.

Move three, he charged towards Anxiety, arm telegraphing a punch. Anxiety went to block it but Logan shifted his body, running towards the back road.

“Oh no, you don’t.” Anxiety reached out and changed the direction of his shadows, grasping at Logan and managing to drag him back towards the two of them. As the shadow slammed him against the wall Logan released the fire escape ladder the rest of the way. He winced in pain as his head hit the wall. Move four, the pain would be worth it. 

“Your movements are slower Anxiety, and you may want to check on your friend there.”

Both of them heard the ladder hit the ground before a soft whimper. Checkmate. Anxiety immediately let go of him to check on the now bleeding morality. 

"I'm okay, I'm okay." He heard Morality to Anxiety as he grabbed the bag with the vial that sat by his feet. He rushed past the both of them before disappearing into the crowd. He knew Morality had healing abilities, he would be fine. The real problem was the fact that Anxiety's movements had slowed and Morality's mannerisms had changed. The twins had left, and Logan was aware that they were safe, but could their disappearance have effected the two heroes so dramatically?

Logan rolled the fringe of the bag in his fingers carefully. "I need you at your best Anxiety, Morality. You have to take this seriously." He whispered more to himself than anything, slipping into a limo that was waiting for him a block away. 

"Did you get what you were instructed to sir?"

"Yes, I did. Please take us home." For once his parents might actually be pleased with his work, though he didn't particularly care. Logan opened the bag. He had gotten two vials. One for them, and one for himself. They never needed to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone! This is my first time posting on A03, I originally had this story posted on Wattpad but I was having a few issues with it and I had already decided I was going to start posting here so I figured why not start with this. Thank you for having me and I hope we can have a great time on this journey together!


	2. { Project Creativity }

Logan shot awake as the limo lurched to a halt in front of his mansion. Overusing his powers always tired him out, and he never used his powers more than when he was fighting Anxiety and Morality. He could have found another way to hide his identity, but he found masks cumbersome and makeup ineffective. There was the danger of him being knocked unconscious and his powers slipping, but if he were knocked unconscious in a battle he would have more to worry about than just his identity.

“Thank you for the ride.” He said in his usual monotone voice before slipping out of the car. His parents were most likely waiting for him to make sure he had completed the job properly. He couldn’t blame them for their micromanagement, though, as they continued to send him on harder and harder jobs, Logan was beginning to wonder if they were attempting to finish him off in their own special way. 

Walking through the door he immediately felt his power drain. Sure enough, there was his dad on the first floor, eyes glowing black. It was strange to look into them and feel as if there was some form of light coming from them even though they sucked everything in.

“Do you really believe that is necessary, father?” He asked, walking forward, pulling one of the vials out of his pocket. Every time this happened it was strange, missing his powers was like missing a part of him. It was an emptiness he could not explain.

“After what you did, I do indeed believe it is.” 

Logan sighed, walking up the stairs to hand the vile to his father. “Might I remind you, that was the mistake of a child over 17 years ago.”

As his father went to grab the vial, he also grabbed Logan by the shoulder, his fingers sinking into Logan’s already sore back. “Child or not you destroyed our greatest weapon. So, watch your tone, remember, we can have you taken out at any time.”

Adjusting his glasses Logan looked his father square in the eyes. “Considering you see me as an asset, you have no reason to get rid of me until my benefits are outweighed by my costs, and I will be aware of that day long before you are.” Logan didn’t attempt to pull away from his father. 

The two just stared at each other before he shoved Logan away, the bespectacled man barely catching himself on the railing. The older man stormed off towards the entrance to their lair. He steeled his face and walked to his room, knowing his powers had returned the minute his father was no longer looking at him. Using his powers was draining, but having them taken from you and then snapped back into your body was excruciating. His already sore body could barely handle the pain.

Through gritted teeth he manually opened his door, opting for as little use of his powers while he was still in pain. His fingers hesitated on the lock, deciding his next course of action. Sleep would be best for him. However, he thrived within consistency, so Logan walked over to his computer and began the boot up sequence. His chair was unforgiving as he sat down, wincing at the sudden contact of his bruised back against rigid plastic. Would the two heroes worry about him if they knew that he didn’t have their healing factor? Did they forget about it considering morality’s power? Logan allowed his mind to wander down that proverbial rabbit hole until he heard the familiar, “Welcome home Sherlock.”

“Watson, please pull up the Creativity project.”

“Of course, please verify the passphrase.”

Logan closed his eyes, rubbing his face with his hand before straightening himself up. “A King is nothing, without those whom he serves.”

“Passphrase accepted. Here are the files you asked for.” Logan leaned forward to look at the screen. Each day, no matter what he was returning from, his first task was to check up on the creativity twins. They were both impetuous and heedless, having a complete lack of subtlety, and Logan needed them safe and free. Checking up on them was a matter of maintaining his sanity. Everything he had worked for would fall apart if the two of them got themselves caught. 

There were times when Logan considered capturing them, locking them away somewhere. It would be easier to monitor them, but it was unnecessary. As long as they were safe, he would hold off for the time being.

Logan’s screen lit up with a video from earlier today, found in off of an ATM security camera. It looked like a simple mugging, The Duke took down the mugger while Prince began talking to the woman, apparently calming her down. Logan yawned as he watched, fighting back sleep as he again leaned back in his chair, only to wince once again. He had a few more things to do before he could go to sleep. 

It seemed as if no one other than the mugger and the girl knew of their activities. Logan began to delete the section of tape that had the creativity twins. “I don’t understand how the two of you continue to be so reckless. I am lucky you have not been caught.” He whispered to himself, scrubbing the last of the video. It was only a matter of time, and Logan feared he did not have enough of it. “What am I going to do with you two?” He whispered to himself, closing the files once again and opening something different. There was a thought that had crossed his mind during his fight with Anxiety and Morality, something had been off. Anxiety’s movements were sluggish and Morality hadn’t been as focused. Had losing the twins really affected them that much? 

He shouldn’t be surprised, but there was something more. The most logical thing that could be wrong was finances. Stupidly enough, all four of them had lived together. With two of them missing, it was probably hard on them financially.

“Come now Virgil, where do you and Patton keep your funds.” It wouldn’t be too hard to hack into the accounts to check on their bank records, if he knew what banks they used. Logan had spent plenty of time learning who the two of them were. Patton had been easy, he worked at the coffee shop next to his university. Virgil had been a bit harder, but once he realized all four of them had lived together it was a lot easier to fit the pieces together.

Virgil’s account balance was in the single digits. “How are you supposed to defeat me if you are not taking care of yourself?” Changing Virgil’s account balance wouldn’t do any good. Virgil was extremely cautious and occasionally paranoid. Logan would have to make plans for the next time that they fought against each other. He stored the thought in his mind, fearing the repercussions if his notes were ever to be found.

He had a plan to help Virgil, now, what was going on with Patton?


	3. { Late Night Fights }

“Thank you so much for walking me back to my apartment.” The woman stood with her hand on her door, giving Roman a gentle smile. She had yet to put her key in the door and Roman knew it was probably because of his brother standing off to the side looking slightly bloody. Remus was terrifying to people who didn’t understand him.

“Of course fair maiden it is important for a prince to be certain that a princess has gotten home safely at the end of a long night. I do hope you are able to get some rest tonight.” She nodded, giving him a weak smile as she watched him walk away. Roman wanted to give her space and didn’t want to scare the poor damsel further. 

“I think we did very good tonight. I was able to rescue a fair princess and you didn’t kill the man who accosted her.” Roman was proud. He knew that Virgil thought that they couldn’t make it on their own, Virgil had always been a debbie downer, but Roman was proving him wrong.

“Fancy words from a man afraid to get his hands dirty.” Remus licked the blood off of his knuckles and caused his brother to cringe. 

“Didn’t Virgil tell you not to do that because of disease or something.” He gestured dramatically to drive his point home. Someone had to step up and be the responsible one and Roman knew for certain that wasn’t going to be Remus.

“Oh, finally able to say his name without getting angry?” Remus retorted back, “And Virgil’s not here, so he can’t stop me.” To prove his point he licked the rest of the blood off of his hand, smacking his lips as if it were a delicious treat.

Roman gagged. “Alright, alright, point taken, just stop doing that. And I’m still mad, I am just attempting to remind myself that allowing lesser beings to get under my skin isn’t worth the worry lines. He had no right to say what he did.” 

“Didn’t bother me. We all know I’m one shot away from full villainy.” That was a lie, Remus and Roman both blamed Virgil’s overly cautious attitude for Patton’s slight change in behavior. It wasn’t necessarily a bad change but it had caused fractures to grow in their dynamic. 

“No one calls my brother a villain. You are just… eccentric.”

“What’s with you and the big words today? You sound like you ate a dictionary. Also, we both know that wasn’t the real reason we left.” Roman and Remus looked at each other, not saying a word as they walked towards the direction of their car. There were a lot of wounds they had from leaving that neither wanted to talk about. 

They didn’t need to talk about it. “I’m just improving my vocabulary because one of us has to be the brains of this operation, and we both know it’s not going to be you.”

Laughter erupted from Remus, “True. So true. Since I’m just the muscle, fight me!”

“No, not on the streets like this.”

“Is the great Roman turning down a challenge? I’m surprised and disappointed by you.” He knew how to push Roman’s buttons. It wouldn’t be hard to manipulate him into a fight.

“Watch it Re, the last time we fought you got your ass handed to you.”

“Oh, I’m so scared.” He sprinted ahead of Roman before turning around and facing him, walking backward. “Do it, fight me! If you are so superior, prove it.” 

Roman looked around, no one was around. “The old lot?” There was an empty lot near where they parked their car. It would provide them just enough cover to be able to fight without being caught. At least, that was Roman’s thought.

The darker twin’s face broke out into a twisted smile as he nodded with a smirk, watching Roman with a predatory look. “You are going down tonight brother.”

“Says you, I’m going all out. We have to get home early enough to rest so that we can find proper jobs in the morning, which means I have to take you down quick.”

“Easier said than done.” 

“True, but at least our money hasn’t run out yet.” Roman knew their money should have been running low, but it wasn’t and he had no desire to question why. He would take this gift from his own personal fairy godmother, or father, or parent, there was no reason to assume. 

By the time they made it to the lot, Remus was babbling insistently. Roman was listening and nodding along to his brother’s stream of consciousness. He supported his brother in any way that he could. They only had each other. The two of them had grown up in an orphanage, and though people had been interested in Roman, Roman would not leave without his brother. A few families had tried to tame the wild beast that was Remus, but eventually, they all gave up. 

When they found Patton and Virgil, Roman thought the fates had aligned to bring them a family. Patton had been so kind and understanding. He seemed to actually adore Remus, but things change, people change. Patton was willing to play along with Virgil because Patton didn’t like confrontation, and Virgil was his best friend.

Roman couldn’t work under those conditions.

That paranoid pariah had ruined a good thing, and Remus had gotten hurt. Even if he wouldn’t admit it, Roman knew that Remus still missed Patton, but words were said apologies could not fix a broken heart.

“Come at me, foul beast,” Roman shouted, turning once they had reached the center of the field. A good fight was just what he needed to clear his mind.

Another maniacal giggled left Remus’ lips before he began creating, dark green mists spreading from his feet and taking form. True to Remus’ style, an Eldridge horror rose from the mists of his imagination. It wasted no time before trying to strike Roman down.

He didn’t miss a beat. Creating a shield and a sword, Roman’s preferred weapon of choice, and he began to dodge tentacles. “You have to do better than that Remus, I know how to avoid your Kraken.” Right as he said that, he was slammed in the back of his head by what felt like a horse. Roman hit the dirt hard, tucking his knees and rolling. He quickly turned to see his attacker, a horse that had spikes and horns running all down it’s back. The glossy black coat shining in the moonlight.

“It’s called a distraction.” Remus was standing atop the steed and quickly jumped down at Roman who blocked him and tossed him off using his shield. In a swift motion, Roman cut off a tentacle and stabbed the horse. That was what Remus wanted. Roman was distracted. 

This gave the darker brother an opportunity to wrap an arm around Roman’s neck, attempting to choke him out. Roman dropped his creations, allowing them to fade into mist as he did his best to fight off Remus. Creating took energy, the bigger the creation the more energy needed. Remus was weakened. 

Roman slipped his fingers between his throat and Remus’ arm, pulling enough to give him breathing room, then he widened his stance, twisting his body and chucking Remus over his body with a shoulder toss. Remus hit the ground with a loud thud, letting out a slight giggle that burst into roaring laughter as he just lay there. Roman once again had his sword in his hand, the tip pointed at Remus’ throat. “Really thought I had you this time, Ro.”

“Almost Re, you really got me with that horse.” He held his hand out to help Remus up, giving his brother a smirk that the other shared. 

“It’s a horny horse.” Remus giggled, patting Roman on the back harder than probably needed. “How is it that I got the cooler power and yet you still beat me?”

“I had to learn to fight in other ways so that I could keep up with you.” The two shared a smile before Remus wrapped his arm over Roman’s shoulder.

“You’re still a bitch.”

“Yeah, alright trash man.” Their breath was heavy, and without a word they could each tell they were each debating on whether or not they wanted a round two.

“As much as I think another fight would be fun, once we catch our breath. We do have to pretend to be responsible.” Roman stood straight and tall, helping his brother walk. 

“Yeah, alright party pooper.” 

Roman just shook his head, walking Remus back towards the Main Street. Their car wasn’t parked too far away, and once they were in it, Roman knew his brother would be fast asleep until tomorrow morning. All they needed was each other.


	4. { Fractured Routines }

Logan thrived on predictability, but he was about to step out of his comfort zone. Getting ready for his day, he put on his usual outfit, a black polo with a navy blue striped tie, dark blue jeans, and black shoes. His parents didn’t approve of his relaxed appearance, believing that as the son of the  Mirce family he should always look like he had spent over a thousand dollars on an outfit. Logan didn’t agree, it was much easier to navigate a dangerous world if you kept a low profile, unlike his parents. 

Zero Sum and Mother Necessity were two of the most well-known crime lords, even those who kept squeaky clean records had at least heard whispers of these two powered pilferers who ran the Chess Master’s family. His parents made a name for themselves and whenever they actually went out to attend to business, which was rare nowadays, they continued to gain public and media attention. 

Logan preferred to keep a low profile. The only ones who knew of his exploits were the creativity twins, Morality and Anxiety, none of whom could actually prove he had done anything wrong. At least, nothing other than that one time. He had made an infinitesimal mistake, two if you counted Morality correcting him on the meaning of infinitesimal, Morality, of all people. Logan rubbed his eyes as he got into the car that would take him to school, a formality, just to keep up appearance as the two of two wealthy business owners. It bored him going to this school for people who were under his comprehension level.

“At least winter break is coming soon.” He muttered to himself, but he knew winter break would not be that much of a rest for him. He had a lot more to do in order to finish Project Creativity and his parents always seemed to push him to his limits when they had the freedom of his empty calendar. He didn’t want to focus on it now, pushing the thought from his mind, Logan attempted to focus instead on Project Creativity. He had to admit, the name was catchy, but he had not come up with it on his own. That honor went to Roman who had started calling him and Remus ‘the creativity twins’ so when Logan began to work on a serum that would get rid of their powers, ‘Project Creativity’ seemed like the only appropriate name.

“Master Logan, we are here.” Logan looked at the college in front of him, not realizing just how deep in thought he had been. 

“Thank you.” Grabbing his bag, he slid out of the car, and prepared himself for a day of tedium and monotony, until he saw it. There was an unmistakable flash of purple in the corner of his eyes, and as he went to focus on it Logan couldn’t help but gawk. Virgil was walking beside someone who was dressed in construction clothes, a company logo on his sleeve that Logan recognized. They were preparing the campus for a new building and must have needed extra hands. Virgil worked for a company that hired out temporary laborers. Logically, this meant that Virgil must have been hired to help, meaning he would be around the campus for a while, hopefully until winter break. This would give him time to befriend Virgil outside of their nightly routines. Maybe he would be able to assist the hero with his eating habits without the use of his figurative mask.

A light smile covered his lips as he walked towards the building. He had something to keep his mind off of his schoolwork today.

{~*~}

Virgil wished his life had more predictability, but his anxiety and powers made it difficult for him to hold jobs long term. People always grew suspicious, so it was better for him, and better for Patton, if he didn’t draw attention to himself. Plus, he was a hard worker, which meant he had a fairly steady stream of jobs the temp agency was willing to send him to. Last month had been a bit sparse, though he blamed himself for that. It had been hard to accept jobs knowing he wouldn’t be in the right mindset to complete them, and it had been hard to be in the right mindset when he knew he was partially at fault for Roman and Remus leaving. 

He wasn’t completely at fault, no matter what the voice in the back of his head told him, but he was partially at fault, and he had been forced to come to terms with that. Taking less work during the month had meant less money though and he was behind on bills now. He would have to continue sacrificing meals until he had caught back up. As if on cue, his stomach growled and he reached for one of the apples that sat on the counter until he remembered that those too were gone. 

“I can survive another day.” He reminded himself, but he really did feel a bit weak. Pushing the thought from his mind, Virgil shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling the warmth of his usual black and purple hoodie, before stepping out the door, being as quiet as possible. Patton had a late shift today, so he was still sleeping and Virgil did not want to be the reason he was woken up.

Making his way down the street, Virgil hopped onto the bus, double-checking his phone to make sure he was headed the right direction. He was probably going to get there much earlier then he needed too, but he couldn’t handle the idea of maybe being late on his first day. Virgil put in his headphones but kept his eyes on the road, looking over each street and occasionally checking his phone to make sure he was on the right path. He didn’t relax until the bus let him off at the school. Even then he had to find the right building, but finding a construction area shouldn’t be too hard right?

His phone chimed and Virgil looked at it, seeing a text from Patton using cat and dog emojis. He was happy to see those again. For a while after Roman and Remus left, Patton barely used any emojis, he had been on a bit of a hiatus since things started to go south with Remus, but this was a sign that he was recovering right? Virgil responded back before checking the email with the contact details for the third time today. He could have traveled through the shadows, it probably would have made all of this easier, but he couldn’t risk getting caught. 

“Hey,” Someone flagged him down near the construction site. “Are you the new kid?”

“Um.. y… yes, I’m Virgil Black.” 

“Wonderful, let me show you around.” Virgil nodded but felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He fought the urge to check his surroundings. He had to play it cool, but he felt like someone was watching him.


	5. { An ‘Accidental’ Meeting }

When Noon rolled around, normally, Logan would be in class, but he had other priorities today. Per his calculations, the construction crew should be eating lunch about this time. Virgil would not be eating lunch with the rest of the crew, his anxiety would probably keep him from eating lunch with them for at least the first week. He would have brought something small, if he brought anything at all, and he would be looking for a quiet place to eat. Virgil would want something close to where he was supposed to meet up after his lunch period, so that he didn’t get lost and wasn’t late.

Logan paid for his two sandwiches, carrying them in the bag in one hand and holding his book in the other. He knew this school like he knew his own mind. The best place to wait for Virgil would be behind the library. There was a small hidden area, easy enough to find but most people didn’t like to visit it because you could hear the sounds of the nearby freeway. Logan stepped into the area and sat down, opening up his book and hoping that his calculations had all been correct. Humans were complex beings and it was difficult to factor everything that might change based on their swaying emotions. Still, after a year and a half of fighting and observing ‘Anxiety’, Logan hoped he had a good enough read on him to predict something this simple.

Tapping his fingers on his book, Logan tried to focus, not on the pages, but the noise around him. He wanted to make sure he didn’t miss the sound of Virgil if he came close, he imagined outside of the mask, Virgil was more of a skittish creature. Logan grew nervous and impatient, each car that passed by a reminder of the time passing. Maybe he had picked the wrong area. Were there any others close enough to the construction site that Virgil would feel comfortable in his ability to get back to work on time. Biting on his lip, Logan was almost ready to give up, but then he heard it. The unmistakable sound of shuffling shoes, hidden in the noise from the freeway, was walking towards him. He looked up when the shoes stopped and he immediately saw Virgil standing there, debating with himself. This was key, he wanted Virgil to stay, he wanted to get to know him better, but Virgil wouldn’t be the type who liked conversation with a stranger. Small steps, he reminded himself, small steps.

He made eye contact with Virgil but didn’t hold it too long, instead turning to the bag of food he had next to him. Opening it up he frowned as he looked at the contents, shuffling through the bag before pulling out his sandwich. If he was eating he wouldn’t be making conversation. That could potentially be what Virgil needed to feel welcome to stay. It seemed it was. Virgil’s shoes began to once again shuffle along the ground, walking over to a different bench before sitting down. Logan hid a small smile behind his book, celebrating a small victory.

The silence that fell between them was perfect. Logan ate quietly, still looking at his book as a distraction to keep him from actually looking at Virgil. Virgil sat quietly, eyes closed, listening to the headphones in his ears. Even though he was distracted, Logan didn’t dare look at Virgil for too long. He didn’t want to be caught staring, not yet. Instead, he focused on eating his sandwich at a normal pace, a hard feat considering his pride over the completion of his opening move. He was thankful when the sandwich was gone, pretending to read a bit longer he waited for his next opportunity. When Virgil’s stomach growled and his hand subconsciously went down to grab it, Logan knew he had won. He closed his book and stood, grabbing the bag with the second sandwich.

“Pardon me for the intrusion and being presumptuous,” He tapped on Virgil’s shoulder, attempting to get his attention, “but your stomach is growling and I noticed you do not have a lunch. Would you like to have this extra sandwich I was given?”

Virgil looked up at Logan, hands quickly moving to pull something out of his pocket, but he relaxed upon seeing Logan and hearing the rest of his question. Sure Virgil was hungry, but he didn’t like taking pity from strangers. He also thought it was pretty weird that someone would have an extra sandwich. Biting on his lip, he sat up, looking at the strange man. “Why do you have an extra sandwich?”

“The woman who works at the shop seems to be… what’s the phrase… ‘sweet on me’,” He would have to check his flashcards later, “though she is not my preferred type of partner. Still, she is insistent on overloading my order with whatever she can get away with. Today it seems to be a sandwich.” A fabrication, but Logan didn’t mind lying if it meant finally having an in to speak with Virgil outside of their nightly routines.

Virgil went to shake his head ‘no’ when his stomach once again protested. Logan was not good at processing emotions, but he could see the conflict in Virgil’s eyes before he gave up and nodded. “Yeah, thanks,” he said, holding out his hand. Logan carefully handed him the bag, letting Virgil open it up to get to the sandwich inside. 

“I am Logan, by the way.”

“Virgil.” The two looked at each other and for a brief moment, and Virgil thought he recognized the smartly dressed man. 

“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Virgil, though I believe I must prepare for my class.” Another lie, of sorts, Logan’s free period was normally from one to two, but he also knew that these small steps would help Virgil feel more comfortable around him.

“Yeah, pleasure.” Virgil seemed confused but not off-put, that was perfect, it was a good balance and Logan was satisfied with himself as he began to walk away. He would keep himself occupied in the library, a place filled with students, and thus Virgil was not likely to find him if he grew curious. It would be a grave falsehood if Logan claimed he was not figuratively walking on air at this moment. He was happy with the progress he had made.

Virgil, on the other hand, was completely confused and embarrassed by the fact that a hot guy had just offered him a sandwich. So many questions were running through his head. When the bespectacled man had said the girl wasn’t his type did that mean he was gay? Did it matter? It wasn’t like he was going to see him again. Was there a different place that he could go hide tomorrow during lunch? Did that matter, a lot of students only came two times a week, would this guy even be here tomorrow? Most importantly, did Virgil mind? It hadn’t been awful sitting in silence with the man who seemed engrossed in his book. It had been peaceful and relatively quiet. Up until being offered the food, Virgil had been able to relax and think to himself without interruption. As he bit into the food his body had longed for, Virgil’s mind began to quiet. His sole focus was on devouring the rather tasty and filled Deli delicacy. 

A sigh left his lips as he swallowed the last of his treasured gift. Hopefully, with Patton working the late shift, he would be able to bring home some pastries, the two of them could make that stretch for a few days, and there was always Mrs. Thea across the street from them. She almost always had something she needed help doing and was willing to offer food in exchange. It had been a poor choice to try to go this long without eating, but you did what you had to do to survive when money was tight.

Virgil sat back, belly full, checking the time on his phone. He had a little bit longer, maybe he could afford to indulge his questions about a certain tie-wearing man.


	6. { Coffees and Capers }

“Welcome in, Oh! Hi Logan.” Patton waved at the man who walked into the coffee shop. Logan was one of the regular college students who came in after their classes to study. “Do you want me to get you the normal?”

“Yes, please, if you would Patton.”

“Of course.” Patton turned his back and Logan didn’t hesitate to use his powers. He wanted to get Patton to open up to him, so he was attempting to cause a block in Patton’s memory. It was strange though. Logan’s first attempt didn’t work to find the right memory; he was able to find it the second time. He must be tired. Patton blinked and turned back to Logan. “I’m… I’m sorry Logan, I know I’ve taken your order a bunch of times, but I just can’t seem to remember it today.”

“That’s quite alright, a chamomile tea and an almond biscotti please.” Just that reminder released the temporary block on his memories and Patton smiled.

“Right, of course!”

“Patton, I know that our relationship is only that of customer and worker, but do you mind if I ask if you are feeling alright? It is very rare that you forget my order, in fact, I have always marveled at your ability to store the orders of all of your regulars in your mind.”

“Thank you, Logan, you think so highly of me, but I’m just your regular Happy Peppy Patton. Maybe I’ve been working a bit too much but it’s really nothing.”

Logan nodded, pulling out his money to pay. “Of course, but please know, an outsider's perspective may be helpful.” Logan also pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, putting it into the tip cup before giving Patton a forced smile. He wasn’t good at expressing his emotions but he had been told smiling helped people feel more at ease.

Patton smiled back and handed over the receipt, not saying anything else on the subject. That also surprised Logan. Patton was normally a bit more emotional and willing to share some strand of information on his feelings. Maybe it was because this whole business regarding the twins, Patton might not want to admit association with them in the event that Roman and Remus got themselves caught. Then again, maybe Logan was just overthinking things. This was why he didn’t like emotional people. They were hard to predict and understand.

Sitting down at a booth, Logan waited for his tea to be ready. He had Patton’s normal schedule committed to memory; If Patton stayed today past 5:00 pm, he was most likely working the late shift, which meant Virgil would be patrolling alone. Virgil was easier to handle. His anxieties meant he had usual patterns that he followed, where Patton would check an area just because something ‘felt’ off. Logan would never understand relying on one’s ‘gut’ rather than substantiated facts. 

Pulling out his laptop, he set a silent timer to flash on his screen at five before allowing himself to fall into his usual routine. He would never take care of his villain work while out in public, he wasn’t an idiot, but there was always plenty of information to find or process. That meant he needed to finish all of his schoolwork while at this coffee shop. One Research Paper on Business Ethics and a Project Management Outline in two hours, he could do that. It would be tight but as long as he finished typing the paper, he could do a final edit once he got home. The outline was just that, an outline and Logan had been working on it for the past few weeks considering this was part of his final exam. Four days until winter break, he wasn’t sure he was ready for it.

When his alarm went off at five he quickly closed it, looking over at Patton who seemed to be making no move to leave. “The late shift it is,” Logan whispered to himself, taking his time to look over the outline once more. He sent a text to the family driver, giving him the coordinates for Logan’s pickup. Logan would need to change and go to a different location to avoid suspicion, but that was also part of his routine. After that, he could track down Virgil. 

Virgil followed his own patrol routes when he was alone, double-checking areas that were frequented by muggers. Normally, just his presence was enough to deter people from crime, and Logan didn’t want to disturb that too much, just enough to figuratively throw ‘Anxiety’ off-balance.

After a few more minutes Logan put all of his items in his bag, walking out of the coffee shop and getting into the waiting car. “Thank you.” He said to his driver, stowing his school bag and pulling his suit out of a compartment. He also quickly grabbed a card out of his backpack, making sure to wipe it of fingerprints before looking at his suit. There was something pleasant about the simple class of a well-tailored suit, though his doubled as body armor that helped stabilize his muscles for fighting and running. The first few times that he had been forced to change in the car, it had been awkward and cumbersome, but now, Logan had it down to an art. Before they were even out of the city he was fully dressed, his clothes hidden with his backpack under the seat in the same compartment his suit had been in. Logan pulled his gloves tight, picking up the card once again before hiding it in his breast pocket. Now he waited.

Each day that he needed to get something, either per his parents' instructions or for his own benefit, his driver would take him a different way, sometimes circling another city entirely before returning to the one he lived in. All of this, again, was just a necessary precaution. Today was one of those days. It was a full hour before he was let out in front of a business building. His parents had texted him and told him to pick up parts from the electronic store as well. It would be easier to do it after talking to Anxiety, but he would have to be extra careful. If he was caught at all, he would lose any ground he had built. 

A sigh left his lip as he stepped out of the car. He adjusted his tie and his eyes lit up with power. “The things I put up with for the two of you.”


	7. { A Forced Dialogue }

Virgil’s stomach growled as he perched himself on a rooftop, overlooking the city streets. He hated heights, but this was the best way to do quick observations, then he could get closer for pinpointed accuracy. He tried to ignore the protest of his stomach that echoed in his head. “This is why I don’t eat large meals when I’m empty.” It only made his hunger grow. “Let’s finish patrols, then hopefully Pat will have some pastries for us to snack on.” He took in a deep breath, making his way down into the alleyways. 

Check left, then right, left again before heading right. He couldn’t be seen. He needed to blend into the shadows, allow himself to merge with them. Virgil pulled his hood further over his face as he stalked through the alleyway, listening for noises, using the shadows to patrol. Everything seemed quiet.

Seemed, being the operative word. The shadows caught a hint of Logic taking pictures of a building, and Virgil knew that couldn’t be good. He quickly made his way down one alley and up another until he skidded to a halt in front of the villain. He was just standing there, not even looking in Virgil’s direction. 

“Good Evening Anxiety, you're late.” Finally, he turned to look at Virgil, his eyes the same dark yet electric blue and Virgil realized he might have a thing for guys with blue eyes. 

“What are you doing here Logic?”

“No, I don’t believe I will be monologuing just yet.” He turned. Each step echoing as he stalked towards Virgil.

“Tell me,” he heard Virgil’s stomach protest the lack of dinner. “When were you going to tell me that hero work didn’t pay enough?” 

“What’s it to you?” Virgil raised his hand, shadows pouring out from the walls, making their way like tendrils to Logan.

“I need you to beat me one day, not today obviously, but one day. Which means I need you to be healthy.” That statement made Virgil falter. Why did a villian care? Why did Logic want to be defeated? No, this was probably just a trick, Logan probably had another villain waiting to help him this time? Virgil checked behind him, making sure that they were alone, but it was enough of an opening. 

When he looked back in front of him Logan was gone, Virgil’s memory of the past five seconds a bit hazy. 

“Using your powers must be exhausting. I know home much energy mine consume.” Something hit the back of Virgil’s neck. No, he couldn’t get captured. He couldn’t let it end like this, but he had no say in the matter. His vision went dark and his body went limp into Logan’s arms. 

“I really am sorry about this.”

Virgil wasn’t sure how long he had been unconscious, but when he awoke he expected to be in a cell. What he did not expect was to be sitting in an alleyway, the smell of hamburgers filling his senses.

“Finally awake.” Virgil shot up but found he was slightly restrained, his hands bound tightly in metal cuffs. 

He raised an eyebrow, looking over at the villain who was now eating in front of him.

“Alright, I’m confused.”

“Eat, and I’ll explain.” 

“How do I know this isn’t poisoned?”

“If I wanted you dead I would have done so while you were unconscious.”

“We are superpowered people, you think I’m not aware that there are poisons that could affect our powers?”

“Again, anything like that would be short term, and I already had you unconscious, what benefit would that bring me?”

“You could still have put something in it that amplifies your powers. I don’t know what all you can do.”

Logic sighed, moving his hand as the fast-food bag floated over to Virgil and sat itself on his lap. “As with most supers, I have one main power, telekinesis. I am able to lift objects and move them with my mind, though it has a unique use that I have cultivated over the years. I assume that is what you are more concerned about.” He sighed, shifting as he sat down, now on Virgil’s level.

“I will monologue, but only as long as you eat. This power does not expand beyond mental blockades. I am able to put blocks around certain items, events or information. I could, theoretically, cause you to forget your own name, but I have to be able to find the right neurons in your head that access that memory. Long term memories are exceedingly difficult, short term memories are easier.”

Virgil hesitantly took the burger, his hands still chained together but sitting in front of his body. He took a bite of the burger, wondering if he could pick this lock if he kept Logic distracted. “So, you could erase this meeting from my mind?”

“No, that is not correct. I do not erase memories. I place up figurative walls around a memory. With the right ‘key’ someone can break those walls down and the work that I have put in will mean nothing.”

“So your face?”

“That is a little different. You have nothing to tie that specific memory too, nothing except my eyes which I assume I am unable to hide due to how most powers work. Were you to see me when I am not trying to hide my face, with my eyes lit up like this, I suspect you would immediately remember all of the times you have seen my face.”

“Interesting.” Virgil had finished the burger in just a few bites and ran a hand through his hair, pretending to be thinking as he grabbed a bobby pin. “Wait! You didn’t look under my mask did you?”

“Where would the challenge be if I were to do something like that?” Logan stood up. “Besides, it would most likely be safer for both of us if I didn’t know.”

“Wait, I still have questions.”

“Yes, but you are done eating and I believe I said I will monologue, but only as long as you eat. Though, this really was more of a dialogue.” 

“Just tell me one thing. Why? Why do you care?”

Logic turned to look at him, hand on the fire escape as he began to climb. “All in good time. You should head home, it is getting rather late.”

Logan was able to make it up two flights of stairs before the cuffs clicked open. In the moment it took Virgil to look down at the cuffs and then back up to Logic, he was gone.”

Virgil swore, shoving his hands into the pocket of his sweater. As he did he felt something hard and plastic that he knew hadn’t been there before. He quickly pulled it out to see it was a grocery card, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Morality is not going to believe this."


	8. { Two Captured Pawns }

Logan awoke two minutes before his alarm. Every time he was able to wake before his alarm, it filled him with a sense of pride. Routine was an important ingredient to any habit, and Logan’s habit of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, despite what might be going on in his life, left him with the early morning hours all to himself. Even on days he had class, he would have time for his morning routine.

Stretching, he turned his neck from side to side, trying to shake the sleep out of his body before standing and walking to his wardrobe. As always he put on a black polo and pulled out one of his many ties. Looking professional put him in a professional mindset. It would help him finish the rest of his final projects, and if his parents had a long day, he might be able to work on Project Creativity. As he adjusted his tie, his bedroom door slammed open. That was a break in his routine. It flustered Logan a bit as no one had broken his routine in many years.

“You sneaky conniving piece of shit.” His father burst through the door and Logan immediately knew that his routine was shot. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was survival. Don’t admit to anything. Force them to bring up evidence.

“I don’t know what you mean Zero Sum.” His father stalked closer to him and Logan could feel his powers drain out of him, like a jug of water with a hole in the bottom he was left empty. He had to plan ahead. What was the likely outcome of this situation? There was no avoiding this part, the beating would come, but what about after?

“You sure as hell know exactly what I mean.” His father’s hand wrapped around his neck and Logan was lifted off of his feet. Logan was lythe and thin, like his mother, but his father was built like a beast. He had the broad shoulders of a man of power and the hand strength that could crush a walnut. That hand was currently being used to crush his windpipe.

Logan was tossed into the wall like a ragdoll, his already bruised back connecting first as Logan bowed his head. A concussion would do him no good, but then again, neither did the pain that shot through his lungs and up his spine. “You have been siphoning money from our family accounts. And I could live with that, but giving it to the heroes. What kind of bleeding heart sissy did I raise?”

Logan fought the urge to remind his father that he hadn’t been involved in raising Logan since he was 10, but that would not make the situation better. “What gave you the idea that I have been using my money on heroes.” He didn’t deny any of it, he wasn’t a good liar, but he wanted to know how his father had found out.

“We put cameras on your suit, you didn’t think your mother or I trusted you, did you?” He was walking closer to Logan again, a menacing growl on his lips. “We should have gotten rid of you 17 years ago.”

No, that didn’t make sense. Logan was very careful about his suit, checking it as he put it on, never letting anyone touch it for fear they might tamper with some of the construction and weave of the material. No, there had to be a different explanation. As the first kick landed on Logan’s chest and he heard a slight crack, a theory came to mind. He could hide from the pain if he just hid inside his head. Facts and theories were his happy place. 

There was a theory he had been playing with for six weeks. That made more sense than the camera idea. He should have known the twins leaving was part of something bigger. 

“Now, you are going to tell me everything you know about those heroes, and I might tell your mother that I have already dealt with you.” He grabbed Logan by the hair, it was just barely long enough to be held onto, and pulled him up, looking Logan in the eyes. Those black eyes that reminded Logan of a demon from a kids' movie.

“I don’t know what you mean.” He wasn’t coughing up blood, at least there was no internal bleeding that he knew of. “I have already given you all the information I know on the heroes.” A lie. Logan had no intention of giving away their secrets, those secrets were for his use only.

That statement made Logan’s father smile, and it worried the nerd how someone could enjoy the acts of villainy so wholeheartedly. “Very well, you want to do this the hard way, we can do it the hard way.” He dropped Logan to his feet, keeping his eyes on him. “Walk.” 

He had no choice, there was nothing he could do at this juncture, but he had a plan. He had figured out where he was being led, and he knew he would only have one shot at this. He couldn’t escape as long as his father was looking at him, without his powers, fighting against this mountain was an insurmountable task, but there would be a brief moment. 

“I genuinely do not know what you are talking about, there is no need to get mother involved.” Trying to play up his innocence, though really it had another purpose. Stroke his ego, make him think he won. His father smirked, unlocking a door that was hidden behind a painting of a chess game. The place where his parents put their useless pawns.

“She’ll deal with you when she gets home,” And Logan was kicked down the flight of stairs that led into the small underground room. He did his best to protect his head, knowing he would have a plethora of bruises added to his collection, but as he looked up from the bottom of the stairs he saw his father turn, eyes no longer on Logan. Logan could feel his powers snap back into his body, and though it was exhausting, this was his chance.

He put up a mental block, his father would forget about his plans to tell Mother Necessity about Logan’s insubordination. It wouldn’t last long, but it would at least buy Logan a few hours. The door closed with a sickening click and Logan allowed his defenses to crumble, breath heavy as he lay at the bottom of the stairs in pain. 

He hurt everywhere. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes. He would indulge in this self-pity for thirty seconds, no more. He didn’t have the time.

When his thirty seconds of pity were over, Logan began taking stock of his body, multiple bruised ribs, he had aggravated the bruise on his back, but his head seemed to be alright. His left leg was broken, though it was probably just a fracture as it didn’t sit in an odd way. Logan felt his face, no glasses, that was probably the sharp pain in his back. He was most likely laying on the broken spectacles, if he could make it back up to his room he could grab a spare pair.

All in all, he would live.

Trying to push himself up, he stumbled a bit, focusing his powers to hold his injured leg together. His first move was to escape this room, but there was something sitting off in the corner, a small mass covered in a canvas tarp. 

Normally, Logan would not take the time to investigate the mass, but he had to be certain that it wasn’t something that would attack him later, also that there was no hidden camera that would reveal what he was doing. So he walked over, quickly realizing it was a person, covered with the tarp and Logan wasn’t sure if he was thankful to hear the soft but shallow breathing. Hesitantly he lifted the tarp to see who it was, and his jaw almost dropped in horror. This was someone Logan knew, and all the pieces fell into place. 

How was he going to get them both out? With an injured leg, he wasn’t going to be able to carry them, especially since the only escape route would be through his bedroom window. Logan bit his lip, not having the energy to pace but needing to get this energy out of him. There were no possibilities where one pawn could rescue another. He didn’t have enough pieces on the board.

He needed more pieces. Logan frowned, closing his eyes before taking his shirt off, gently resting it on the sleeping figure. “Stay strong a little longer. I promise I will be back.” They would need the extra warmth down here. 

Limping up the steps, he went over the plan in his mind. He just had to unlock the door, make it to his room, grab his emergency go bag and erase his hard drive. Closing his eyes as he held it over the doorknob he sighed. That was only 4 things. He could do this. He had to do this. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered to the unconscious form at the bottom of the stairs. “I’ll try not to be too long,” and with that, the door unlocked and Logan his journey across enemy lines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, this is when things start to take a bit of a darker turn. There are going to be more injuries over the next several chapters and I am not an expert but I am doing what I can with the knowledge and research that I have done. Let me know if there is anything glaringly strange that you think I should change.


	9. { A Knight’s Defenses }

Each step was painful, but Logan pressed on until he was in his bedroom, quickly using his powers to move a shelf in front of his door. It wouldn’t mean much against his dad, but even a little bit of a delay could help him. He flipped on the switch for his computer and reached for his go-bag under his bed, all with his powers. It was exhausting, but he knew trying to kneel down with an injured leg would be worse. 

The computer booted up he heard the familiar, “Welcome Home Sherlock,” Logan was going to miss that.

“Watson, the game is on, and it is a dark night in the kingdom.”

“Verified, please confirm.”

“Vatican Cameos,” He sighed, straightening his shoulders, “A King is nothing, without those whom he serves.”

“Verified, good night Sherlock, it was a pleasure to serve by your side.” The robotic voice faded out and Logan grabbed the hard drive that had been connected to his computer. He heard the sound of his fail-safe, and the smell of burning plastic began to fill his room.

“Good Night Watson.” Logan looked at his computer one last time before turning to his second-story window. “Fear will get you nowhere.” He reminded himself, trying to push his emotions down into the depths of his heart as he popped the screen off the window, securing the hard drive in his backpack before pushing himself up into the window. 

He jumped.

The wind rushed past him and as he hit the ground he felt his leg creek, pain again filling his body. He couldn’t help it. Logan turned, emptying what little was left in his stomach last night, into the tulips below his feet. Now was not the time to stop. He limped towards the car park, slamming his fist onto the door of the valet he always used. 

“Master Logan?” The man opened the door but looked at Logan, surprise filling his eyes, “What happened?”

“I’ll explain in the car, this is going against my parents, so I will give you the option. Will you drive me somewhere?”

“Of course, my loyalty is to you.”

Logan chuckled, “A dangerous sentiment.” He climbed into the car, pulling his back up suit out of his backpack and quickly throwing it on, knowing that the tight material would help stabilize his leg. “I need you to drive me to this address.” He listed off a restaurant address, it was deep within the city, and it would be easy for Logan to get himself lost before making his way to Virgil’s apartment. He needed someone he could trust. 

“Are you certain? That’s a restaurant, you should be going to a hospital, you look like a cracked gem.”

“I’m certain, I’ve thought this through.”

“Alright.” The engine turned over and the car began to move out of the gate. Logan knew that he was putting this loyal man at risk, so he began to dig through his bag, finding a small stack of cash and pulling out a few thousand dollars in $50 bills. Each bump made him hiss but he did what he could to ignore the pain, his eyes still lit with power as he stabilized his leg. This was going to heal poorly, he would have to readjust everything, but he didn’t have the energy to think through all of this. He was in survival mode. He just needed to get somewhere safe. 

When they reached the restaurant Logan passed his driver the money. “Get out of town, you aren’t safe here anymore. Just… stay safe until I can work everything out? Okay?”

“You too.”

Logan nodded and got out without another word, making his way into the nearest alley and allowing himself to fade from thought. He limped with each step, holding onto the wall. There were 22 blocks between here and Virgil’s apartment, at this pace he could get there around one. He would need to rest afterward. Logan clung to the wall, his nails scraping against the bricks. 

{ ~*~ }

After a long discussion with Patton the night before, Virgil had decided to try using the grocery card on a few items that he would be able to afford even if the card ended up being faked. Patton had been skeptical about using the card, and Virgil had as well, but there was something about Logic that he trusted. He probably shouldn’t, but he did. This time it had paid off? 

He was walking home with a bag of dried pasta and canned beans. The card had been good but the real surprise was just how much was on it. When Virgil heard the original balance had been five hundred he felt his anxiety spike. What could Logic possibly want with giving them that much money? Twenty dollars was a show of good faith, a hundred a mark of possible kindness from a villain, but five hundred, that was more than Virgil made in a week. Then again, he knew better than anyone that crime paid.

A sigh left his lips as he pulled out his keys, finally reaching his floor, but he didn’t make it to his apartment door.

“Virgil, sweetheart, oh I’m so glad you are home, could I get your help?” His neighbor Mrs. Thea had her head poked through her door, giving Virgil her typical smile. He wanted to brush her off, he was tired and still needed to go on patrol tonight once Patton got home, but Patton had been teaching him that kindness begets kindness.

“Sure Mrs. Thea, let me set these down first.”

“Oh you can set them down in here, it won’t take but a moment.” 

That was suspicious. “Okay.” He let the oh sit in his mouth for a while, allowing her to hear his concern but she just smiled and waved him in.

Her apartment was, as always, clean, and she was rummaging through the cupboards of her kitchen. “Sorry for being strange hun, but I saw someone entering your house today that I don’t recognize and I wanted to talk about it with you in private, just in case we need to call the cops.” She handed him a container with brownies in it. “And this is from my niece, she is an amazing baker so you and Patton should enjoy those.”

A person? Who, was it Roman or Remus? No, Mrs. Thea would recognize them. Was it Logic? Had he found out where they lived? He couldn’t call the cops, Logic was too powerful for that.

He tried to keep his voice calm, “it might have been one of my friends, what did they look like.”

“Oh he was tall, dark hair, angular face and broad shoulders, he was dressed in a really nice suit so it seems weird that he would be a thief but he was also limping.” She tapped her chin, trying to remember more detail as Virgil took the brownies.

It sounded like Logic, what little he could remember.

“That sounds like my friend, he is a professional man but is always getting himself into trouble. Thanks for being so vigilant.” 

“Of course sweetheart, we have to look out for each other.”

He nodded and grabbed his bag again, biting his lip as he turned his back to her. This was really bad. He couldn’t let Logic hurt the people in this apartment complex… then again, Logic had never hurt anyone before. What game was he playing at?


	10. { Caution and Anger }

There was blood on the wall. Small flecks that were barely noticeable if you weren’t on high alert. Virgil was always on high alert. It looked like it had come off of someone when they bumped into the wall, and it was dry which meant the wounds weren’t recent. That was enough to make Virgil’s chest tighten. Immediately, his shadows were at his side, prepared for an ambush. He should have known that Logic had more planned than just giving him food. It was all too convenient. Logic was a cold, calculating, robotic person. Virgil had, by some idiocy, let his guard down. That wouldn’t happen again.

Slowly the anxious hero made his way through the apartment, checking every corner, counting in his head to make sure he wasn’t missing memories. He wasn’t sure if it would work but after Logic’s admission last night he had been trying to come up with a technique that would help him fight. He had to be able to catch it if Logic used his powers.

After the living room and kitchen were cleared, Virgil made his way down the hallway, opening his door quickly and looking in. There, on his bed, was a man, tall in height, dark hair, and a suit. He looked broken. Part of him wanted to rush over, help this poor man. The other part of him held him to the ground, cautiously assessing the situation. The door had been locked still, this wasn’t a simple burglary case, this man could be dangerous.

Slowly, cautiously, Virgil brought his shadows closer to the man, ready to strike, before clearing his throat. “What are you doing here?”

The figure didn’t move. They were still breathing, a soft wheeze of pain coming out occasionally, but they didn’t register Virgil’s voice. The pain was obvious, and he was ready to let his guard drop again, but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t be a statistic. Checking behind him again, his mind on high alert, Virgil tried once more.

“What are you doing here?” His voice was dark and reverberated with the powers of the shadows behind him. It was enough to wake the man up. He flinched, fear in his eyes as he tried to sit up, proceeding to fall off the bed. In a different situation, it might have been funny, but with the sharp intake of breath, his arms flying up to protect his face, Virgil wasn’t laughing. 

Focusing on this man’s face, Virgil noticed his blue eyes, blue lightning flashing through them, desperately trying to activate a power but not having the strength. It broke Virgil's memory block and his heart. He knew this man. Logan, who he had met at the college, and Logic, who he had been fighting for over a year, the same person in front of him who now had tears streaming down his face.

“A...apologies, let me…” He tried to push himself up but it seemed to do no good, “let me compose myself.” When sitting up failed, Logan began a breathing exercise. It was a different pattern than what he used for his anxiety attacks. He knew this pattern from Roman. This was to help curb the pain. 

Neither of them moved as Logan fought with his breathing, arms still hiding his face as he lay on the floor. It was only after a minute of silence that he began to move. Specifically, his leg moved, and Virgil flinched back. If Logic wanted a fight he would be ready, but his leg didn’t move in a natural way. It was only when he looked back into Logan’s eyes that he realized the villain had to be using his powers to hold his leg in a more comfortable place. “My apologies.” He whispered again, one of his arms lying by his side, his breath labored and strained.

Even with the suit, Virgil could see bruises that crawled up Logan’s neck, and the way he winced each time his torso moved, Virgil had never felt rage like this before. It was difficult to fake pain like this, not that he would ever underestimate Logic, but this looked too real. No one deserved to be treated like this. Where was his partner? He had to have one. Why was no one helping him? Even if Logic was faking it, Patton had repeated it over and over to Virgil. ‘Kindness was not weakness, kindness was strength.’

“Forget composing yourself. Let’s get you back in bed. You have a lot of questions to answer but for now, you need to heal.”

For once, Logic didn’t argue. Stoic, argumentative, always stilted Logic, didn’t put up a fight. He didn’t move at all, didn’t speak in his own defense. Who had hurt Logic so bad that he would be like putty in the hands of a hero, shapeless and without any resistance? Kneeling down beside his injured opposite, Virgil held out his hand. “Mr. McMuscles is not here, nor is his brother, so I’m going to need your help to get you up.”

Logan just nodded, taking Virgil’s hand without a word. Virgil wasn’t surprised. He doubted Logic would be able to talk well through the pain. “A...again, my apologies.” Yet, he still tried. Now laying in bed, Logic was looking up at Virgil with regret, frustration, and pain. He preferred confident Logic to this.

“If you are really sorry about all of this you can tell me the whole story later. Rest. I’m going to get the first aid kit for some pain medication.”

“Ahh… my bag.” 

Virgil looked at him, “Your bag.” 

Logan weakly pointed to the side of the bed and Virgil noticed a backpack, a rather large backpack that looked heavy. Somehow Logic had walked here from who knows where, on a bad leg, while carrying a backpack. Virgil felt his jaw set hard, his teeth clenched together. Villain or not, no one deserved this.

“What’s in your bag?” He walked over too it, opening up the first zipper. 

“Pain meds.” Everything was so organized, and it was more than pain meds. There were a lot of bottles and supplies, none of which Vigil could read. The labels were handwritten in a language he didn’t know.

“I can’t read any of these, what even are they?”

“Pain meds,” he repeated, reaching out, wincing as he used his powers to lift up the bottles. After looking over each one, he opened a white bottle, slipping two pills out and swallowing them dry. 

“You need to stop using your powers. You are exhausting your body.”

Logan nodded but didn’t say anything. He didn’t move, his breath still heavy and his eyes still lit up. He was still using his powers. Virgil didn't understand why. What he did understand was that Logan needed help.

“Sleep, I’m going to start dinner.” 

Logan nodded, trying to steady his breath as he closed his eyes, thin fingers gripping the sheets tightly. Virgil was almost certain this was real, but just in case, he still kept his guard up. As he left the room, he pulled out his phone, texting Patton. 

‘If you can, I need you to come home early. We have an unexpected visitor at the house, and he is in need of your expertise.’ Virgil looked at his phone before looking back towards the room. A broken leg, disorientation, and Patton’s powers not working as well as they used to. The smartest thing would be to get him to a proper hospital, but if Logan got his powers the same way Virgil had, that wasn’t an option. Going to the hospital could bring up too many questions.

A sigh left Virgil’s lips as he walked to the kitchen, pulling down his hood. Everything was just too chaotic. Those kinds of injuries would take months to heal, and they didn’t have the supplies to harbor a villain for months. Maybe Virgil should just turn him over to the authorities.


	11. { Dreams and Reality }

_ “Roman, my little emperor. What are you doing?” Roman could hear the soft voice of a woman he couldn’t remember. Was this a memory? His memories before the orphanage were so few and far in between that whenever he thought he remembered something, he grasped at it like leaves in the wind. _

_ “I’m playing kingdoms!” His voice was so small, and he was so young. He was happy, was this what it had been like? _

_ “Is that what you and Remus are doing? It looks like you had fun, but we have to get ready for dinner. Do you think the two of you could put everything away?” She spoke softly and her voice was kind.  _

Roman could tell it was all a dream, it had a certain etherealness to it that his everyday life just didn’t have. Not to mention, he had had this dream before and each time he woke up he felt the same way. Lost. 

He didn’t even know if these dreams were memories or if they were just desires, but it made him wonder. What would have happened if their parents had decided to keep them? Would he feel more confident in himself? Would Remus be more normal? Roman sat up in his bed, looking over at his mirror. There were bags under his eyes, and Remus would surely notice. He groaned, flinging his arm over his face as he debated just not getting up. It would be easier to just stay in bed, but he had an interview today and he needed to get work.

After he finally got up and got ready, Roman made his way down to the kitchen. He switched the coffee pot on and waited for it to brew, looking around their small apartment. He and Remus had been lucky to find such a cheap place, especially one in the city. Remus had said he didn’t care, claiming he could live in a cardboard box and be fine. “Good Morning brother dearest?”

The rat-man himself was skipping down the stairs, looking at his brother with a smirk. “Ohhh you had the dream again didn’t you? Did you finally kill the imposter like I suggested?”

“You know I don’t have control over my dream like that. At least, not this one.”

Remus just shrugged, grabbing the dry macaroni out of the cupboard and pouring it into a cereal bowl before grabbing the orange juice.

“What if it is true? What if we had loving parents that abandoned us?” Roman poured himself the coffee, trying not to focus on that though. He had his brother, wasn’t that enough?

“Does it matter?” Remus asked. “We have each other, and that’s enough. We don’t need anyone else. We don’t need parents, we don’t need partners, though I guess you are probably still going to get yourself a bea eventually. I have plans for when that happens.”

“I hate you.”

Remus cackled, pouring orange juice and coffee into his bowl that held the dry pasta. Both men knew Roman didn’t mean it. “Love me or hate me I’ll always be a part of you.” He took a spoonful of the weird breakfast and bite into it, causing a shiver to run down Roman’s spine.

“You are disgusting.”

His eyes lit up, “Really, you mean it?” Remus hugged his brother as if that was the best compliment he could have ever received. 

“Of course I do,” He pushed his brother off him, but gave Remus a smirk. “And I’m sure you will find someone who enjoys your brand of weirdness, or at least tolerates it.”

The other twin’s eyes seemed to dull a bit at that comment, grabbing his bowl once again. “I don’t know Ro,” he chuckled at the rhyme, “Even if someone did like me, Patton kind of ruined me. I like the soft fluffy ones.” He had set his bowl on the table and was making a motion like he was playing with Patton’s soft curly hair. “They are just so much fun to ruin! And… I don’t think I’m going to get that again, but it’s okay.” Remus tried to cheer up. “I have you, I have my coffee breakfast soup, and I have my powers. I don’t need Patton.”

Roman smiled, not wanting to push it. He couldn’t be mad at Patton for breaking up with Remus, he wasn’t obligated to love Remus, but he was still mad at the situation. Everything had just completely fallen apart for them.

He didn’t want to dwell on it. 

Roman smacked his hands on the counter before standing up straight. “Well, I have an interview, as I am the only one in this household who has been attempting to keep us afloat.”

“That sounds like a you problem.”

Roman rolled his eyes, “I am going to get ready and hopefully we will have a steady income and I can convince you to eat something other than dry noodles mixed with OJ and Coffee.”

“Over my dead body Ro.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice for both of us?”

Remus flipped Roman off before going back to his bowl of noodles, allowing the loud crunch to fill the silence. Half of the reason he ate this weird mixture was because it annoyed Roman, and it was fun to annoy Roman, especially on days where his guard was already down.


	12. { Borrowed Powers }

Virgil was sitting at the kitchen table, leg bouncing as he scrolled through his phone. He wasn’t absorbing anything; His mind was far too focused on the man lying in his bedroom. Logic, a villain he both feared and respected, was not your standard powerhouse. If he had been all muscles and no brains, Virgil and the others would have captured him a long time ago, but Logic was smart. That was what made Virgil so anxious. This could all be a trick, it could be a way for Logic to get close to them to tear them apart from the inside out. Tapping his fingers on the table, Virgil contemplated calling the police. He could teleport through the shadows. He hated using it because the idea of teleporting inside of someone and tearing them apart terrified him, but he could. He could move Logic away from their house and inform the authorities, but who would go through the trouble of putting themself in that much pain for a con? Honestly, Logic might, he didn’t know, but there was a part of him that wanted to believe in Logic, just like Patton had believed in him all those years ago. 

The door to their apartment was thrown open, and Virgil jumped, looking over at an out of breath Patton. “What happened? Are you okay? I’m sorry I couldn’t get off earlier.”

“I’m fine Pat, it’s not me I’m worried about,” Virgil said, standing up and putting his phone down. “Logic somehow found out about my secret identity and I found him passed out on my bed.”

“What? And you didn’t call the authorities?” Patton reached for his phone but Virgil stood up and stopped him. 

“I think we need to hear him out first.” Though it was obvious just by looking at him that Virgil was nervous about all of this. 

“Okay, if you think we should hear him out, we can, but if he tries to hurt you, I’m calling the cops! Let me go see how bad he is.”

Virgil nodded. “I’ll start serving up dinner and he can tell us what is going on. Then you and I can decide what to do with him.”

Patton gave Virgil a smile. “Alright, Kiddo.” With that, he walked off and headed back to Virgil’s bedroom.

“Hey Friendo, are you awake?”

“I am,” Logan whispered, trying to lift himself up.

“Well, I’m gonna take a quick look at you and see if I can help.” 

“It’s going to.”

“What?”

“The proper grammar is that you are going to take a quick look. Though a better phrasing would be that you are going to have a quick look as you cannot take looks, but, one problem at a time.”

Patton didn’t respond, instead just walking over to Logan and looking over at him. 

“And though I could probably stand to hear the improper grammar from Morality, your not him, are you?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” He continued to keep his voice happy and peppy but Logan could see the shift in his eyes. 

“I am aware that it is you Deceit, the moment I saw the real Patton I knew it couldn’t be anyone else. You have gotten quite proficient in mimicry, and I have neither the energy or wherewithal to put up with incorrect grammar coming from someone who is completely capable of speaking in the correct vernacular.”

“Well, it’s all in the observational skills,” Deceit, still disguised as Patton, smirked. It was strange to see that smug look on such a normally sweet face. Rather than focusing on it, Logan screwed his eyes shut, attempting to manage his pain. His medication was beginning to wear off, but he didn’t want to be drugged while talking to Deceit. He needed to be lucid. “Though, you should know that. You were my teacher.”

“And that was always a skill at which you excelled.” Logan had failed to push himself up and he hated how he was in such a defenseless position. Deceit was the type to look out for himself first, and if he determined Logan would be better off dead, Logan had no doubt that he would kill him right here. “I assumed once fully trained you would slip out of sight, depriving Mother Necessity of another pawn. Why do you stay?”

The Patton look-alike stood, rolling his eyes as he went to grab Virgil’s desk chair, dragging it over. “I only answer to them because they have something I want. Now stop trying to move so much. I’m going to try to heal you. You look absolutely pathetic.”

“It’s hard using a copied power isn't it?” He tried to relax and tried not to move. “But why help me?”

There was silence between them as Deceit began to use Morality’s powers. He didn’t fully understand how Patton’s powers worked so anything he could do was about as useful as a poorly made copy of the Mona Lisa. “I have been on the receiving end of Zero Sum’s tantrums. I assumed, as their son, you didn’t get the same treatment. Not that I feel guilty or anything, like I said, you just look pathetic and I can’t stand to watch.”

“I have not been their son for some time, I am… was a pawn that lived with them, but now I have my own plans.” Logan finally opened his eyes and Deceit could see the determination in the way his jaw clenched. “What is it that you want? I want to remove as many of the pieces from their board as possible, this means giving you a chance to walk away.”

“Determined words for someone who currently can’t stand.” Logic’s leg was healing but it was slow and Deceit knew he would run out of stamina long before Logic’s leg was fully healed. “The only thing I want is my brother back, and if you can’t get yourself out of their clutches properly, how do you expect to save someone else?”

The two made eye contact and Deceit immediately knew who Logan was planning on seeking help from. He began to laugh, a deep fake laugh. “Good luck, I chased them away for good. It would take a miracle for them to come back.”

“Well, I’ve already been granted one miracle, here’s hoping I can be granted another.”

Deceit wanted to ask, but he could see that Logic was beginning to succumb to sleep now that his leg was healed a bit. It would be easy enough for him to claim he was just being Logan’s ally to learn of his plans. He had to look after himself, but, maybe the youngest in the Chessmaster crime family, could finally topple an old regime. At the very least it would be fun to watch, and at the most, he might finally be able to rescue his brother.


	13. { Safety in Numbers }

The clock in Virgil’s bedroom read 2:53 am when Logan next opened his eyes. His body still ached with each minuscule movement but his leg felt much better. The break most likely being downgraded to a fracture. That was enough for him to get up and start planning. His muscles screamed as he moved, begging him to rest longer but time was not on his side. 

Fighting to sit up, Logan pulled his backpack over to him, wincing as his shoulder throbbed, but he didn’t stop. He had chosen this path, he would see it through. He pulled out the pain pills first, dry swallowing a set before pulling out his laptop. He knew he shouldn’t take pills on an empty stomach, it was bound to make him nauseous, but he didn’t have the energy to get up and shamble towards the kitchen. Also, what was a little nausea when added to the rest of his pain? Lastly, and most importantly, he didn’t want to take what little food Virgil had in his kitchen.

When the laptop booted up the first thing he did was sign into a hotspot server he had in his backpack. He had to keep himself off-grid and if Deceit was here it was possible his parents were monitoring the outgoing internet connections. Then again, that might have been something Logan would do, not them. He pulled up a tool that would allow him to send a text without a phone and sent one to the creativity twins.

_ ‘Patton was kidnapped. You were living with an imposter. Your assistance is needed. Come to the old house.’ _ It was 3 am, they likely weren’t going to get it right away but the sooner they did the sooner he would know if his plan could include Roman and Remus. Rescuing Patton was the top priority, rescuing Deceit’s brother was the second. Speaking of Deceit, Logan used his powers to lift up his hard drive and bring it over to him. He wasn’t sure which was harder on him, using his bruised muscles or his powers, both were so draining in his fragile state.

What was Deceit’s actual name? It had to be in the files somewhere. As he continued to search and his mind continued to race, Logan didn’t hear the door open until Virgil, no Anxiety, he hadn’t been given permission to use his civilian name, was standing in front of him.

“You should be resting.”

“I’ve slept an adequate amount, especially if you consider the time it took you to get home from work.” That was right, Virgil was working for the college. Logan has to send a message to the professors and hopefully be excused from his exams. He had high enough grades in most of his classes.

“And you are still healing. Patton looked tired after talking with you but I doubt he was able to fix everything.” Virgil yawned, not wanting to have this conversation at 3 am.

“Right, about Patton.” Logan’s voice became serious as he adjusted his glasses, his frames barely hiding his black eye. 

“What about Patton?” Virgil shifted, wrapping an arm around himself as he waited for Logan to say exactly what he needed to say. 

“I understand what has caused the recent malfunction in his powers and I believe we can remedy the situation but it is going to require breaking into the Chessmaster’s secret compound.” He doubted his parents would be dumb enough to keep Patton where he had been before and the only safe place to keep him would be at the compound. That was actually a blessing because Deceit’s brother was probably there as well.

“Wait, you want us to break into their secret base? How do I know you are not leading us into a trap? There are only two of us heroes and who knows how many of them.” Virgil seemed very much awake now.

“Zero-Sum and Mother Necessity are both cautious people. There shouldn’t be more than 4 guards, most of their security measures are mechanical, and I have already asked Duke and Prince to join us. Whether or not they choose to is still to be seen. 

Virgil flopped into his desk chair. “What is it that we are getting any way?”

Logan hesitated before drumming his fingers on the desk. “We are getting the real Patton back.”

Silence.

The air was thick and choked at Logan. When Virgil spoke it was much too quiet. “What do you mean?”

“Your Patton was replaced two months ago if my timeline is correct. That is about when your group began to show signs of stress. I discovered this right before coming to you for help.”

“And the person currently sleeping in Patton’s room?”

“An associate of my parents who I am trying to win to our side.”

Virgil stood up and started pacing, biting at his nail. “I have half a mind to drag him in here to explain.”

“I don’t believe that will be of much use. If he doesn't want you to have information, you will not be able to get it from him.”

Virgil looked at Logan. “And what about you?”

Logan looked at Virgil with a raised eyebrow.

“What information are you willing to give me?” 

“There is only one secret that I intend to take to my grave. You have shown kindness and hospitality by not handing me over to the authorities, so I am willing to answer any questions you have.”

Virgil sat back down, thinking through this before finally saying, “alright, why the food?”

“Simple, I was born into a family of villains, I did not choose it. I find the methods of Zero Sum and Mother Necessity to be outdated and self-destructive. I believe it is a much better use of our powers to assure a healthy balance of justice is enacted. Though, breaking the laws can be useful when the laws are corrupt and their motivations do not help the society they were meant to protect. I believe that justice is more important than the letter of the law. The four of you were fighting for much of the same. I wanted to be assured that you would be strong enough to continue that fight.”

Virgil nodded, not fully convinced but it brought something to his mind. “What caused you to believe that people are worth protecting? That doesn’t seem like something your parents taught you.”

Logan’s breath stuttered and Virgil could see conflict running through his blue eyes. He hesitated before he began to speak, every word chosen with precision. “My powers… like many of our powers, are linked to my emotions. When I was younger I was not in as much control of this. I allowed my powers to get out of hand and because of that, people who were important to me died. When my parents discovered what had happened they did not care about the emotional toll it took on me, but rather, they cared that their plans for a new weapon were ruined as the people in question had the correct genetic markers to become extremely powerful.”

Something about his story didn’t add up to Virgil, maybe it was just the way that he said it or maybe there was something about how Logan refused to look at him. Either way, the truth seemed to weigh heavily on Logan and Virgil decided not to push the subject.

“Alright, well, I think it’s only fair to let Patton decide your fate. So, once we get him back he will decide if we ship you to the cops or not.” Virgil shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants, “But know this, I will have more questions in the morning.”

Logan nodded and watched as Virgil left the room quickly saying, “Get some rest Logic.” 

He wasn’t sure he could now that his memories were focused on that night 17 years ago. The truth of that night was one secret that Logan had to protect no matter what, and maybe once he was certain everyone was safe, he could block the memory from his own mind, though he had no clue what that might do to him.


	14. { High Tensions }

Virgil had hoped he was going to be able to sleep late considering he got up in the middle of the night, but as Roman nearly kicked the door down at 7:00 am, he knew that wasn’t going to happen. “How can you be sleeping at a time like this? Where is Patton?” Roman’s voice was loud and commanding. 

“Shut it, Gaston, I’m just as worried as you are?” He hadn’t been sleeping well, nightmares of what might have happened to Patton plaguing his mind, but he was overwhelmed. There had been too much information he had learned and he didn’t know how to start using it.

Roman held a hand to his chest, making a noise of indignation as Virgil compared him to a villain. Virgil really didn’t care, Sir-sings-a-lot was too dramatic for his taste anyway.

“I did not expect you to be here this early,” hearing Logan’s voice from the hallway, Virgil sat up. How did he manage to look so put together when he had slept in those clothes and had to still be in pain. “I’m assuming introductions are in order. My name is Logan, but you may know me by the moniker of Logic. I’m the one who sent you the message earlier this morning.”

Before Logan had even finished his sentence, Roman was in a fighting stance and Remus was looking at him, his brown eyes sparkling with curiosity as he slowly moved forward. Remus took a single step but then snapped out of it turning to Virgil. “Where’s Patso?” He wasn’t as loud as Roman and there was a slight pleading edge to his voice, something Virgil had heard only once before and it dawned on him. Patton never broke up with Remus, Deceit had. Did Remus also come to that realization?

He couldn’t think about that now. There were so many other things going on. Roman was screeching about justice; Remus was asking questions Virgil didn’t have the answer to; and there was a look in Logan’s eye, maybe it was just the pain, but he hadn’t seen that look before as the logical man stared down Remus. Patton was missing, Virgil had two villains in his house and the other heroes right now weren’t exactly on his side.

“Both of you quiet!” Virgil’s voice grew deep as the shadows crawled around him. It was too much, there was too much noise, but he had to calm down. In seven, hold four, out eight. Even if he didn’t have a panic attack coming on he knew the breathing exercise helped him focus his thoughts. Virgil began composing himself, trying to pull the shadows back in. “I have not had enough coffee for this and Logan you shouldn’t be standing. Let’s go to the kitchen and talk.” Should he get the imposter up? It probably was a good idea. They needed answers. Logan could do that while he started the coffee.

Roman and Remus were not patient people but thankfully they had the decency to wait for Virgil to get his coffee and for the fake Patton to come out. Logan had explained the situation to Deceit and his reasoning for telling the others. Deceit, wanting to be dramatic about the whole thing, waited until he was in the room before dropping his disguise. For the first time, they were seeing him as he was, or at least for Remus and Roman, it was the first time.

“Virgil so great to see you.”

Virgil’s hands tightened around his mug. “Don’t.” His blood was racing. He didn’t need his past to be dragged up again.

“What, haven’t we become friends over the past two months?”

“I don’t think we have.” Deceit sat down, pretending that Virgil’s words had hurt him, but he really didn’t care.

“Where is Patton?” Roman shouted before Logan held up his hand.

“Apologies Roman, Remus, allow me to explain. Two months ago Morality was kidnapped and was replaced by Deceit. He is someone who worked and trained under the Chessmaster family, as did I.” His eyes flickered over to Virgil but he didn’t say anything. “My assumption is that he was sent here specifically to break you all apart as you are stronger together, and you two were less likely to believe Anxiety about Morality if you had had a falling out previously. This is why I sent the text rather than having Anxiety contact you.”

“Get to the point, poindexter.”

“Of course, I want your help to break into the Chessmaster compound for a rescue mission. Our objective is Morality and one other person.”

The room fell silent, three of the group in deep thought while Deceit scrutinized Logan’s face. 

“Why should we trust you?” Roman asked, looking at Logan first, then turning to Virgil. “Why should my brother and I trust any of you?” His anger was beginning to show as a deep red mist began to pour from his body. “You think you can hurt my brother like that and I’m just going to be willing to trust what you have to say.”

“Of course not Roman, now please sit down.”

“Also, what gives you the right to use my name? I have not given you permission to call me by my first name, you will call me Prince.”

Logan’s body tensed up before he began to rub the bridge of his nose. “Do you know where Patton is being held captive?”

“No…”

Logan stood, his voice growing louder. “Do you have a plan once you figure out this location?”

“No, but-“

Slamming his hands on the table. “Do you have any idea what you might possibly be going up against?”

“No! But-“

“Then sit down and let me finish, due to my own hubris and stubbornness I allowed the lynchpin, of your fragile hero family, to be replaced. I am attempting to make amends.” His eyes sparked with power, a few items floating. Logan seemed to not be aware of what he was doing and the items were not getting any closer as if he had malicious intent. He simply allowed himself to slip up.

Remus gawked at the floating objects and wanted to irritate Logan further. How far could he push this man before he snapped? This was a serious moment, he couldn’t do it now. He would push later. A twisted smile crossed his face before his mind snapped back to the reality of the situation. Patton was still in trouble.

Virgil gently put a hand on Logan’s back, causing the other man to flinch. “Why do you care?” Logan sighed and slowly sat back down, closing his eyes as he began to control his emotions again. The items that had been floating set themselves on their respective surfaces and when Logan opened his eyes, they were back to normal.

“I am aware that the Chessmaster family is immoral. They deserve to be taken down and I have been working from the inside to achieve that end. Unfortunately, I was forced to take action recently and I was not fully prepared to do so.”

“I still don’t trust you,” Roman spoke up.

“I’m not asking you to, question me all the way, force me to give you the logic to my thought process, but understand if I wanted to harm any of you or wanted to kill you, I would have done so years ago.”

Roman frown, doubting that this nerd could actually take him, but he would argue about that later. “Who is this other person we are going to rescue?”

Logan turned to look at Deceit who sighed, obviously not wanting to give them any information. “They call him Sleep.”


	15. { Ultimatums }

“Why haven’t we left yet?” Roman said with an angry growl. Remus had been surprisingly quiet throughout this entire process. He hadn’t said anything during Logan’s explanation of the situation, and now that Logan was sitting at the table, typing away on his computer, Remus just stared at him in silence. To anyone else, it might have been unnerving, but Logan seemed to not mind at all. Remus’ strange staring was better than Roman’s angry pacing.

“How many people can fit in your car?”

“Five,”

“And how many people do we have going with us?”

“Five, so why can’t we just leave.”

“How many are we rescuing?”

“Two but-”

Logan quickly turned to look at him. “Unless you would like to put an unconscious Morality in the trunk of your car and attempt to drive him to a safe place, we will be waiting for proper transportation accommodations. Not to mention, Mother Necessity has a way around machines, we will need someone to stay with the car to make sure that it is not tampered with.”

“You never got this angry when you were fighting us, what bee has crawled up your butt?”

Logan sighed, he was letting his emotions get ahold of him, wasn’t he? Pushing up his glasses Logan looked at Remus.

“Apologies, I have been under more stress than I am used to as of late. I understand the importance of rescuing Morality and the repercussions if we do not also rescue sleep.”

“Do you really understand the importance?” Remus’ voice was calm and that terrified Logan more than his own parents did. “Because if we don’t rescue Patton, or if he is hurt beyond repair, I will take it out on everyone in my path.” 

That was a threat that Logan did not take lightly. “I understand Remus, but as I said, this adds to the pressure of me feeling the need to perform at an unquestionable level of excellence today.”

Remus sat back, apparently satisfied with the answer for now. “Why do you call us by our names but not the others?” Remus pointed to him and his brother, his eyes lighting up. “Do you love us or something?” His personality swung like a pendulum and Logan struggled to keep up with it.

“I… I do not know how to give you a satisfactory answer to that question.” There was an expression on Logan’s face that he couldn’t identify himself, but he knew he had to be careful with his choice of words. He had a reason, but it was not a reason that he was willing to share. 

“The truth Mr. Roboto!” Roman was still pacing, apparently getting fed up with Logan. The creative man had thrown his hands in the air, always one for dramatics, but he couldn’t give in.

Logan rubbed his eyes. “No.” 

“What?” Roman stopped pacing. “What do you mean, no?” 

“I mean no, I do not have romantic affections towards either of you.” Logan’s whole body hurt and he was still feeling overwhelmed, having Roman yelling in his ear was not helping. “Now, if the two of you will allow me to continue what I was doing, I need to make sure all of the security measures can be easily taken out once we get to the compound.” His glasses sat awkwardly on his face and he went to adjust them, knowing Roman would have more to say on the matter.

“I would expect the villainous spawn of those two to have easy access to something like that.”

“Roman, I am not sure if you are aware but I was forced to extricate myself from my family. They are well aware that I am a traitor to their kind. The likelihood of me having access to any of their access codes, much less their security procedures, is close to nil, in fact, it is most likely that my mere presence could cause additional safety procedures to be put in place.”

Roman mouthed the word ‘extricate’ before rolling his eyes. He didn’t want to put up with this so he huffed and walked away. Remus, however, went back to staring at Logan. Normally he could ignore it, but Roman’s anger and fervor were still running through Logan’s head. He understood how important it was to fix all of this. How had he failed to notice that this was an issue for so long? Would he have even been able to save Morality if he had known sooner? Would he have been able to spare the twins from the argument that separated their group? Would Deceit still be working under his parents? What if he didn't succeed? What if this was where all of their journeys ended. There were so many things that he still needed if he wanted to eradicate the threat known as his parents and he no longer had the time and resources to gather them all.

Remus was loudly chewing on a stick of butter, almost intentionally aggravating Logan, and he snapped. “What is it, Remus? What is it you want right now?”

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your legs eaten off by piranhas that could walk?”

“What?” Logan was snapped out of his spiraling thoughts.

“Or be suffocated by a giant slug?”

His focus was solely on Remus, watching him carefully. 

“Because I can do that, if you hurt Roman, I will tear you apart.” He smiled happily, shoving the rest of the butter stick in his mouth. “It was funny, when I first realized it, I assumed my thoughts were just being chaotic like normal, but with you and Roman yelling at each other. It was a moment of beautiful clarity that I rarely get to see.” Remus put his hands on the table, a little harshly as he stood up. “After all,  a King is nothing, without those whom he serves, right Lo-Lo?”

Logan’s face drained of all color as he watched Remus walk away. The mental blockade had been broken and Logan couldn’t reconstruct what was already destroyed. This was not part of his plan, how could Remus have heard him this morning? Logan had made sure he was alone. The air seemed to grow thick and Logan couldn’t catch his breath. Maybe it was because his tie was too tight, a hand wrapped around his tie, gripping and pulling it down but it didn’t help. He couldn’t breathe.

His computer alerted him that their driver was here. This changed things. If Remus knew, he was in danger. Logan ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm his thoughts. He didn’t have time to allow his emotions to falter. Standing, he fought against his shaking limbs and checked his suit. He didn’t have time to focus on the walls crashing down on him. He had everything he needed even… he felt the vial hidden in his breast pocket. He wasn’t ready to use it, he had wanted to test it first, but if he needed to, he would. He would not let 17 years of work go down the drain because of Remus.


	16. { Arrival of the Rook }

“Our ride is here,” Logan announced to the other. He maintained a confident and authoritative voice, though Virgil didn’t miss the shaking of his hands. “Please make sure you have everything you need, because we may not be able to make it back here for a while.” Logan grabbed his backpack after putting his computer into it, running his hand through his hair and adjusting his tie once more. 

“And why can’t we come back here?”

He sighed; Roman was an absolute paragon of stupidity. “After we rescue Morality and Sleep we will be running away from two of the fiercest people on this planet. They will not stop until we are hunted down and dead, do you honestly believe that we will be safe returning to this house?” 

Roman opened his mouth, but for once in his life, shut it afterward. 

“Thank you,” Logan whispered to himself before turning to walk out of the door, earning a smirk from Deceit and a look of worry from Anxiety. He didn’t notice either. It was hard enough controlling his emotions when the chaos in his head was screaming that he needed to deal with the problem that was Remus; he didn’t need Roman questioning his every move. 

“Logan, wait up.” Anxiety came running down the stairs after him, already packed and ready to go, wanting to help Patton as soon as possible. “Why do you let him get under your skin?”

Another sigh. He had promised to answer every question that Anxiety asked him as long as it didn’t directly address his secret, but this teetered in a gray area. “Roman reminds me of someone I used to know, in many ways. I guess his headstrong personality makes it difficult for me to think clearly.”

“It never seemed to bother you before….”

“Yes, well pain does act very much against the task of subduing emotions.” Logan took off his glasses, stopping to rub his eyes. “I have spent years having to repress my emotions so that my powers will not go out of control. Powers grow with age and where you gained your powers later in life through the experimentation of others, I was born with my powers. Their potency has only continued to grow.”

“Wouldn’t it have been better too, I don’t know, talk about your emotions with someone rather than trying to suppress them.” 

Logan slipped his glasses back on and Virgil could almost see the hint of a sad smile behind his hand. “There was a time when I had that option when I was free to express my anger and sadness in a more appropriate manner. However, my circumstances changed and I have been coping in this way, I am not sure that there is a way for things to return to the way they were.”

He continued to walk forward and Anxiety grabbed his hand. “I mean as long as you don’t betray us, you can talk to me about it. I’m pretty well versed in the overwhelming emotions category.” 

Virgil gave him a slight smirk and Logan could almost feel the tension melting away. He shook his head, not allowing himself to become complacent, but the words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. “I don’t think I could betray that smile.” 

Pulling his hand from Virgil’s, Logan turned to walk to the car, leaving a blushing mess behind him.

“Sir Logan,”

“Please don’t call me that, I am no longer associated with that family or that title. I would prefer you simply address me as Logan.”

“Really? I can drop the formalities.”

“Yes, please.” He said, trying to get his bag into the back of the van.

“Well then, do you how do new friend?” He said, holding out his hand. “I’m Emile Picani.”

Logan shook his hand. “I know Emile, I have known you for years.”

“Yes, but you didn’t get to know the real me. I’ve always wanted the chance to really get to know you, Logan. You can rely on me!” He gasped, “Like Kenai and Koda, just with less betrayal and lost family members.” 

Logan didn’t respond, thankfully hearing Anxiety make his way over. 

“Oh, hello, I’m Emile Picani, who are you?”

The voices faded out of his thoughts as Logan prepared the trunk. He didn’t know what kind of state Sleep would be in when they got him but he knew that Morality would be weak, unable to sit up on his own and probably not conscious. Having an area prepared in the back of the van would mean being able to take care of both of them better. Logan also pulled out a few water bottles, making sure to Velcro them to the floor so they wouldn’t roll around while Picani was driving. 

“Alright nerd, we are ready to go,” Roman said from his seat. It looked as if everyone was buckled in. Taking in a deep breath Logan nodded, looking at his still shaking hands. One crisis at a time. They had to rescue Morality and Sleep, then he had to make sure they were both in a healthy state, then he could finally worry about silencing Remus. Was it too late? Would it really change things?

He sat in his chair, seatbelt on as he closed his eyes and tried to push the thoughts out of his head. Infiltrate the base, find the captives, get out. It was as simple as that, though Logan knew nothing was ever that simple in actuality. He had planned for as much of this as he could but there were so many variables. He didn’t want to be going into this without further information, but his parents would know that he had found out about Morality, would they have any use for him? Was he even still alive? No, he couldn’t let that thought cross his mind. He couldn’t fail this.

The car lurched to a stop, “Do you have your exit buddy?” Picani asked and Logan heard Virgil chuckle softly. 

“Pats going to love him.” It must have been a reference that Logan simply didn’t understand. 

“Alright, does everyone remember the plan?”

They said yes in unison and Logan nodded, quickly getting out of the car, trying not to wince as he put weight on his bad leg. Pain was temporary, and hopefully, this would all be over soon.


	17. { The Slowness of Time }

What was it about time that made it go so slowly when you needed it to go fast? Roman bit his lip as he watched the buildings go by. This wasn't the first time he had felt this strange sensation, where time slows down simply to spite you. He first felt it was when he and his brother were waiting to know if they had been adopted. Roman had been so hopeful, and waiting for that answer had made every second feel like an eternity. Unfortunately, that situation had not worked out in his favor and maybe it was that stress that was causing him to worry over this situation. He was worried about Patton. 

With every building, they passed, and every red light that stopped them, Roman’s leg began to bounce faster on the floor. How had he not noticed? How did he not realize that Patton had been replaced? Patton was supposed to be his best friend, yet he was so easily convinced that Patton was the type of person who talked behind other people's backs. He should have known that wasn't true. Patton didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings but he was straightforward and honest, if he had a problem with someone he would address it. Roman had been so protective of Remus that it blinded him.

As his thoughts went deeper, and the car went slower, Roman’s leg began to bounce the floor underneath him.

“Will you stop, Lord of the Flies?” Virgil asked angrily.

“Why, am I bothering you, Frankien-jerk?” If Patton had been replaced then the whole fight with Virgil had been pointless, Virgil had been telling the truth all along. Roman wasn’t ready to admit he was wrong.

“That wasn’t even one of your better insults,”

“Well, I’m sorry that my mind is preoccupied with the fact that my best friend has been held by villains for the past two months. You were a part of this weren’t you, I knew he never should have trusted you?”

Virgil obviously flinched. “What is your problem, Princey?” He asked that with such venom that Roman’s anger began to boil.

“My problem? You are my problem!”

“Now, now, I’m sensing a lot of hostility back there,” Emile said. “I know it’s not really my place but this anger isn’t constructive.”

“Whatever,” Virgil muttered, crossing his arms and letting out a huff of air. “I’m not a villain Princey.”

“But you were, and yet somehow you couldn’t accept my brother.” Maybe it had been a lie, maybe their fight had been pointless, but it had still hurt when Roman overheard Virgil and Patton speaking about Remus being ‘uncontrollable’.

“What?”

“You heard me, you and fake Patton over here called Remus an ‘uncontrollable psychopath.’”

Remus flinched but continued to pretend he was interested in the small creature he had created that was running around his hand as he tried to squish it.

“That might actually be my fault.” Deceit chimed in. “It was my job to get you all separated, you are easier to pick off when you are alone.” His voice changed, now sounding exactly like Virgil’s, “And nothing seeds chaos like a few choice words.”

The car fell silent once again before Deceit began trying to defend himself. “Look, it’s not like it was really my choice.” Sure he had enjoyed creating a little bit of mayhem, but he did it all to protect his brother. “You would have done the same if it meant protecting Remus, right?” 

Roman made a sound of disapproval, but he also didn’t fight it anymore. In true Roman fashion, he tried to change the subject. “Calculator watch, you separated us into three teams, why am I stuck with… this one.” He pointed to Deceit and Logan fought back another sigh.

“Remus and Virgil are the two most useful in a hand to hand fight, but as Virgil’s abilities are more useful to Stealth than Remus’ are, I positioned Remus by the car to protect Emile as he is a civilian and I would not have involved him in this further if it hadn’t been necessary.” Logan held out his hands and was making motions with his fingers as if walking through an invisible strategy board. “This left four of us, the most optimal use of resources is to separate into teams of two, my talents will most likely be needed for rescuing sleep, and Remus would feel most comfortable with you rescuing Patton. The teams should be composed of one hypothetical villain and one hypothetical hero so that you all will feel more secure about the team layout. Hence my decision.”

“You thought of everything didn’t you?”

“Strategy is how you stay alive,”

“It sure as sugar isn’t how you stay uninjured.”

“We are here,” Emile interrupted, thankful they had arrived. He saw that conversation going as well as the previous one.

Roman jumped out before the car was fully stopped. They had spent so long not even knowing that Patton was missing, and because of that, he went through two months of Disney knows what. They didn’t even know if Patton was alive and Roman knew he wouldn’t relax until he could see and apologize to his friend.

“Alright, we have less than 30 minutes before Zero Sum and Mother Necessity show up once we trigger the alarms. Give yourself plenty of time to get in and get out. Meet back at the car. Emile, if we do not make it out within 25 minutes, leave us.” Logan was very serious as he stepped out of the car, straightening his tie. He was almost certain that the guards were going to know he shouldn’t be let in, but if by some statistical anomaly they didn’t, he couldn’t let a hair out of place, tip them off that something was wrong. 

Logan turned to look at Emile. “You are a civilian, basically, I will not have you getting caught up in these affairs.”

“Lo, I already am.” He said with a weak smile.

“And I’ll protect the string bean out here, but I’m not leaving without Roman and Patton. You, I’ll leave behind”

Logan looked at Remus who only narrowed his eyes at the logical man. Logan couldn’t let Remus engage. He needed things to go smoothly. “Go, you don’t have much time.” Remus’ voice was almost teasing and a shiver ran down Logan’s spine.

“No, we do not.” He turned to Deceit, waiting for him to nod before they turned back to Prince and Anxiety. They were pretending to bring those two in as prisoners, hopefully, it would work, but if it didn’t, Logan already had a backup plan.


	18. { Mother Necessity }

Things at the gate had gone exactly as Logan expected. The guards knew that Logan was not supposed to be there, so they reverted to plan B. After knocking out both guards, Deceit transformed into one of the guards and quickly put on the man’s clothes. “Time to put your acting skills to the test.” Deceit muttered, watching as Roman’s creative smoke formed around his own wrists.

“Don’t doubt my acting.” Deceit grabbed onto Roman’s arm and began leading him towards the door, pretending to pull him roughly.

“Oh, I don’t doubt anything from you.” Roman frowned, faking a struggle as he fought against Deceit’s hold. The handcuffs were standard looking, hopefully, none of the guards would be smart enough to realize that not knocking out a hero was exceedingly dangerous. 

“Alex, who’s that, and where are you taking him?” Who was Alex?

“One of the heroes came snooping around, probably that bastard child spilled some information.” Deceit was answering so Alex must have been the guard he was impersonating.

“Well, lock him up with the other one. Mother Nes is going to want to interrogate him soon.”

A flicker of something danced through Deceit’s eyes before he smirked and nodded, making his way towards the holding cells. 

Roman didn’t ask about the hint of fear that Deceit was attempting to hide. If Mother Necessity was as bad as all of the rumors insisted, he could understand. “Why do they have such a large area for cells?” Roman whispered once the other guard had walked away. He hadn’t missed how Deceit’s grip tightened as they got closer, Roman wanted to distract him. Fear was rarely a friend to a mission.

“The cells are used for people the family wants to interrogate or people they are hoping to make into tools.”

“So, why isn’t your brother here as well? Logic acted like he would be somewhere else.”

“He will be, my brother is already being used as a tool. Just like I was, just like Logic was.” Roman frowned, not sure what that meant.

“What do you mean Logic was a tool? He was their son, wasn’t he?”

“Not my story to tell, besides I only know pieces.” That didn’t clear the matter up, but he didn’t care. They had found Patton.

“We need to get out of here quickly, I think Mother Necessity is here and if she is, we are screwed.” Deceit’s voice was steady but not his hands. She really must be terrifying.

“I will fight her,” Roman said, dropping the cuffs and allowing his smoke to flow into the keyhole of the cell, concentrating as it began to take form, doing his best to make sure it was exactly what it needed to be. 

While he made a key, Deceit went up to the retinal scanner to turn the alarm off. He was the only powered person, that Roman knew, who didn’t show his powers through his eyes when he used them. It was interesting, and Roman wanted to ask him about it, but now was not the time.

When the door clicked open, Roman wanted to run in, but he knew the plan was for Deceit to go in first so that they couldn’t be double-crossed. He watched as the man, who still looked like a guard, gently put his hand over Patton’s face. He was feeling for breath and he seemed satisfied with what he found. Deceit scooped Patton up in his arms, but it looked far too easy to carry him. If Patton didn’t recover, Roman would find a way to avenge him. 

“How is he?”

“He will be fine.”

That was probably a lie and Roman knew that but he believed it anyway. He didn’t want to think about the dark consequences of what might happen when Remus saw Patton like this. He was much thinner than he should be, and his face was so pale. The normal glow he usually had was gone, this broken emaciated man did not look like his Patton. Damn, he was such an idiot. He should have seen all the signs sooner. 

“This is your fault.”

Deceit didn’t respond as the two of them began to run down the hallway. Deep down Roman knew it wasn’t Deceit’s fault, but it was easier to blame Deceit and Logic then it was to face up to his part in this whole disaster. 

They ran, no longer worried about stealth. They had saved Patton, this was now a mission of distraction. The more chaos they caused the quicker Logic and Anxiety could finish what they were planning to do. 

“Not everything is black and white, Princey,” Deceit finally muttered, but Roman slid to a stop, his ears focused on something else. He heard a voice speaking and it was a haunting voice that he had heard before in his dreams. 

“What do you mean he has already made a move to break into this compound? Do you know how dangerous he is? Find him, do not engage, that monster is not a part of this family, he is a cruel traitor.”

“What are you doing?” Deceit had already run past him, not hearing the same voice Roman had. 

“Go, I’ll follow behind. I’m not going to give them a chance to follow.” Roman flagged him off, desperately needing to check out this voice.

“That’s not the plan.”

“Screw the plan, I don’t trust Logic anyway, sometimes you have to get a bit creative.” 

Deceit bit at his lip, “Fine, but if you don’t come out alive, I’m not responsible.” With that Deceit turned and ran off, trying to make his way through the guards, he had dropped his mask of pretending to be Alex and had shifted into Logic. This way he could still retain a little bit of anonymity and now he wouldn’t be left powerless. At least, that’s what Roman assumed as he turned away and headed down a side hallway.

The voice was still talking loudly. It sounded so familiar. Slowly he opened the door to what looked like an office. Picture frames lined the wall and it all felt surreal. Something was off. He couldn’t put his finger on it. Then she turned around. Roman stared into a face that he only saw in his dreams. She was thin and beautiful, her raven hair in a right bun. She looked very similar to Logan now that he saw her in person. 

He was expecting her to attack, expecting to need to defend himself. Instead, she dropped the phone she was holding. 

“R...Roman?” Her voice faltered as she stepped around the desk. A tight black skirt and a pair of heels that could be weapons. This was definitely Mother Necessity, but she was wearing such a sad broken smile for him. “Is… is that really you? Oh please, don’t tell me I’m dreaming again? Where’s Remus?”

She knew his name, she knew both of their names. She took a step closer.

“Who are you, foul witch?” Roman took a step back, causing a sword to form in his hands. He had to play dumb, give his brain time to catch up.

“Oh god, it is you. I would know those powers anywhere.” Tears began to slide down her face as she held out her hand. “Roman, it’s me. It’s your mom.”


	19. { The Only Option }

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention this in the warnings because I just didn't think about it, but there will be use of a gun in this chapter, also needles.

There were two guards at the gate and Logan kept his face in a mask of indifference. He had had years of practice, pretending that he didn’t have emotions at all, pushing down any inconsistency. This was an advantage, he reminded himself. It allowed him to be cold, calculating. It didn’t matter that he had a difficult time expressing himself or understanding his own feelings, none of that mattered. 

The four of them began walking past the gate, not giving either of the guards the time of day. They knew who he was.

“Wait!” Logan heard the guard on the right shout, but it was the sound of the guard on the left taking in a deep breath that Logan keyed into. He turned quickly, stopping the dart in the air before it would have pierced his skin. His eyes sparked with his powers. 

“Did you really believe that would work?” He didn’t want a fight. He had hoped that they would be able to pass unnoticed, but Logan had known.

“Alex, the alarm!” But Alex didn’t have time to hit the alarm as Logan turned the dart back on its owner, Virgil quickly knocking out the other guard with his shadows. 

“I’m not sure why that wasn’t Plan A.” Deceit muttered as he began to strip the clothes off of the guard. 

“I was hoping to be inconspicuous.” Logan iterated, again, turning to Virgil. “Anxiety, are you ready?” He asked, holding out his hand.

“You know I’m not a fan of doing this, there are so many things that could go wrong.”

“I trust your abilities. We have reviewed the building schematics and the area where we are going should not have any people.”

Virgil pulled at his sleeve. “It’s your funeral specs.” He said, grabbing Logan’s hand and pulling him into a tight hug. In other circumstances, this might have been pleasant, but Virgil began to sink down into the shadows. It was a surreal feeling, nothing felt real, not even his own body. Being pulled through the shadows was like nothing Logan had ever experienced, it was cold, it was empty, and yet there was a light feeling of being at one with everything in the world. There was no pain. It was over before he knew it and the two of them appeared in a dark hallway, Logan suddenly realizing that humans needed to breathe and he hadn’t been. His body desperately gasped for air as the pain that radiated through him once again became apparent. Hopefully, that would not need to be their exit strategy.

“We should be close to the most likely area where he is being held. It depends on whether or not they are actively attempting to use his powers. We need to be careful, with the Codename Sleep, his powers could be a number of things.”

“I’m glad the guards didn’t have any powers. That could have been messy.”

“I had a feeling they wouldn’t, you know the process of… gifting powers is messy.” Logan said softly. 

“Yeah, don’t I know it. Though I wouldn’t call it a gift.” The two walked down the quiet corridor, keeping their voices low. “I almost didn’t survive my transition.” Virgil rubbed his arm, still remembering the feeling of his blood boiling as he became one with the shadows. The things that happened in this hallway were not pleasant, and Logan was ashamed to admit that he had ever been a part of it. 

“I believe Deceit also barely survived. That seems to be the trend for people who are forced to go through that process, though, if I remember the lab files, his transformation had the side effect of his facial pigmentation being changed. Whereas you were unable to stay solid for a while, yes?”

Virgil nodded, biting at his lip. “I feel like there were other side effects but it’s hard to pinpoint things like that. I survived it though, and I got out before I could go in too deep.”

Logan wished he could say the same, but he doubted he could be saved, especially now that Remus knew. What was he going to do? His entire plan fell to cinders when he heard Remus repeat those words back to him. What had once been a comfort was now a reminder that he had failed. ‘A king is nothing…’ 

“These labs are still so creepy.” Logan was snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Virgil. 

“They are,” This area wasn’t used as much as it once had been. Apparently Mother Necessity and Zero Sum had discovered everything they wanted to know when it came to attempting to give people powers. That’s all this place had been good for, human experimentation and containment. “I do not envy what you must have gone through down here, I was no longer allowed to be a part of the experiments at that point.”

“Honestly, I’m glad you weren’t. Don’t think I ever could have trusted you if I associated you with all of this. For the longest time, I thought you were just another one of their pawns.”

“I was.”

Their conversation again fell silent, too many things they both wanted to say but neither of them had the words. 

“Wait, is that who we’re looking for?” Logan turned to look at the sheet of paper on the door. It was written in a different language, similar to the one that Virgil had seen on Logan’s pill bottles.

“Yes, it is, good catch.” His eyes lit up as he put his hand on the lock. 

“Now it’s your turn to impress.” Virgil gave him a smirk and Logan knew under other circumstances, or maybe in another life, that smirk would have him losing his breath. Now, however, was neither the time nor the place. He turned to the door seeing six deadbolt locks. Mother necessity didn’t trust electronic locks. She understood the need and use of them, especially since her powers could create machines, but it was that same power that made her so paranoid. Logan could hack an electronic lock, but using his power to pick deadbolts was much easier.

When the last lock slid open Logan smile, turning the door handle. “Did I impress?” He asked with a bit of a smile, looking at Virgil only to receive an eye roll. It was good-natured though and for a moment it made Logan forget about the perilous situation they were in. 

Only for a moment.

Virgil pushed passed Logan, playfully hitting his shoulder as he entered the room. The moment he entered, Logan heard him scream and watched him hit the floor, a needle sticking out of his neck as he writhed in pain. 

The gunshot went off right after, before Logan even noticed it. He was thankful that his body reacted before his mind did, redirecting the bullet with his powers. It wasn’t by a lot, he wasn’t that quick, but it was enough that he knew he wouldn’t die, if he had time to treat his wound.

“You know, it was your mother’s idea to not kill you right away?” That voice sent shivers down Logan’s spine as he backed up out of the door and towards the wall. “She knew you would come, she knew you would bribe Deceit, after all, you are just like her.” He held the gun towards Logan again. “She put me here, and your mother, your absolutely brilliant and beautiful mother, suggested that I shoot you in the stomach, keep you out of the fight for good. If you're lucky you might live long enough to watch your friend over there die.” He smirked, watching as Logan slid down the wall holding his wound. 

“I wish I could stay and watch, but I’ll have to catch the recap, Roman has finally come home.”

Logan’s eyes filled with fear, genuine uncontrolled fear. How had they found out? Was it through Deceit? That was the only logical explanation. He felt the vial in his pocket, watching as Zero-Sum walked away. He could try to get out, use his prototype on one of the twins, make sure that they couldn’t be used as pawns. Was Roman a lost cause? Had 17 years of isolation and planning all been for nothing?

Virgil’s scream echoed through the corridor and Logan quickly turned to look at him. His body was becoming one with the shadows, falling apart and then stitching itself back together with black threads. 

If he didn’t do something now Virgil might die? Going through the power transformation once was almost too much for a body, Logan wasn’t sure he would make it a second time. His mind was made up. Pushing himself up off the floor Logan limped towards Virgil, using his powers to hold the bullet in place so that it didn’t do any further damage. He would be fine once he got himself patched up. 

“I’m sorry Virgil, I don’t know what this will do, but it’s my only option.” He whispered, quickly stabbing the autoinjector into Virgil’s leg. The screaming died down into soft sobs and Logan watched as Virgil’s body began to settle onto this plane of existence, the shadows no longer breaking him apart. They needed to get out. He needed to get Virgil somewhere safe, but he had also promised to rescue Sleep. He couldn’t carry them both on his own.

Suck it up, push forward. Logan forced himself to stand again, looking at Virgil still stuck on the floor. The shaking was lessening. It was just a prototype, he could only hope that Virgil would be okay, and if he wasn’t in so much pain, Logan would probably be sick from nerves. He pushed his way towards the man sleeping on the bed. How had his father been this dumb? If he had switched the chart to a different room then Logan would never have found Sleep. His body probably wouldn’t have made it. 

Looking over the man Logan realized he had seen something like this before. Sleep was in a medically induced coma, though with his parents’ special concoction of chemicals. He just needed to unhook the bags and sleep would wake up. Hopefully, he would be in a state to be able to help. Logan’s breath was heavy as he leaned against the wall, gravity taking its toll on his body. Anxiety was out of commission; he could barely move; Sleep was still unconscious. He should have planned for this. How was he going to manage to get them all to safety?


	20. { Caught Between Sides }

_ “Roman, it’s me. It’s your mom.” _

No, that couldn’t be, his mother could never be some villainess set on nefarious purposes. Roman believed in virtue and heroism, he wasn’t the spawn of some villain. “How do I know you aren’t lying?”

She seemed hurt by his words, but he stood his ground, eyes darting around the room to take in his surroundings. It was a small office, there was a desk with a laptop, two chairs, and pictures all over the walls. Some of the pictures were of a happy family, two parents, three kids, but a lot of the pictures were just of the two youngest kids playing together. They were obviously twins, and Roman knew it looked at least a little bit like him and his brother. He wasn’t ready to believe it yet. 

The only exit was the same entrance he had come in, but his mind wasn’t thinking tactically right now.

“I… I don’t really have a good answer for that.” Her voice fell, “I never really thought about needing to convince you, I thought you were dead… you and Remus both. Is he also alive? Are both of you safe?”

Roman wasn’t sure what possessed him to nod, but he did, hands still gripped tightly on his sword. This woman seemed so sincere, the concern in her voice was so real, but he just couldn’t believe his mother was a villain. Roman wanted this, he wanted a mother who loved him and cared about him, but this wasn’t right.

“Oh thank goodness. I’ve always known you were the stronger one. You would always protect your brother. I… I’m not sure if you remember this, but you were actually the first one to use your powers. Remus got so jealous of us praising you that he manifested his right after.” Her smile turned warm and fond, her arms out just a bit as if she was hoping for a hug but wasn’t ready to ask for it yet. “I’m happy to see you alive.”

“If you are my mother, why did you give _me_ away? Why did you give  **us** away?”

“No, no darling, that’s not what happened. Let me explain.” She pulled out one of the chairs, “do you want to take a seat?”

He didn’t move.

“I understand, I do.” She sighed and took the other seat, “Seventeen years ago, your older brother, that computer virus,” she spat the words out like venom, “was practicing his powers when they went haywire. Your father and I thought he had killed you. We saw the bodies, we had funerals, we mourned your deaths.” Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes, “It seems like he was just jealous of all of the attention you two were getting. He must have tricked us and taken you away.” She sighed, “It’s my fault really, I should have been a better mother, I should have seen the signs, but I was just so happy that you and Remus shared my powers.” She waved her hand over the desk, black smoke coming from her hands, forming into a wind-up toy soldier.

Roman couldn’t deny it, the powers were similar, the pictures made sense and the timeline of her story matched up with when he was at the orphanage. 

“How did you not realize the bodies weren’t us?”

“I don’t know honey, I really am sorry.” She said, looking up at him, “He is just so smart, I guess, smarter than I gave him credit for. That doesn’t matter, we can start over, we can be a family again.”

Normally, Roman would deny it, normally, he would insist that he would never be family with criminals, but this situation wasn’t normal. Right in front of him was the loving mother that Roman had always wanted, a family that he had always desired to be a part of. His body shook with indecision. 

“Unless… unless you don’t want to be a part of our family. It would make sense, you have your own life now, you’ve grown up to be such a fine boy-”

“I need to think.” He shouted, gripping his sword tighter. His knuckles were white on the hilt and it took all of his strength to steady himself. “This is confusing and I don’t trust you. I need to think!”

“Of course, I would never want to force you into a decision. You are my son, I would never hurt you.” Again she gave him that smile, it was warm, and caring, and everything Roman thought he needed. “Let me leave, unharmed, with my companions. I… I will think about all of this.”

She hesitated but nodded slowly, pulling a phone out of her desk. “Here, take this with you. Anytime you want me, anytime you need me, just call, and I will be right there. You are so grown up now, but you are still my baby boy.” Roman hesitated but reached out and grabbed the phone, slipping it into his pocket.

“And I will be able to leave here, no problems?”

“Of course, I would never think of harming you, Roman.” He nodded, slowly backing out of the office. The weight of the phone sat heavy in his pocket, but he ignored it. Quickly, Roman turned on his heel and ran down the corridor, dismissing the sword out of his hands. He only had a few minutes before they were supposed to leave.

As Roman reached the main door, he almost ran into Logic. If Mother Necessity was his mom, then Logic was the brother who gave him away. Once again, the anger flared up inside of him. It was made even worse when he saw the person behind Logic carrying an unconscious Virgil.

“Logic!”

“Don’t worry, he is an ally.” Logan’s voice was heavy, and something was wrong, but his immediate concern was on Virgil. Sure they fought, but they were still friends. Logan was the reason Roman had lost his family, if Logan also became the reason he lost a friend, there would be hell to pay. He stalked closer, fingers itching to manifest his sword once again and run Logic straight through.

“What did you do?” He growled, grabbing Logan by the collar. “What did you do to Virgil?”

“Chill babes, I don’t think now is the time for that.”

He slammed Logan against the wall, “What did you do?”

The ‘villain’ winced, his eyes never losing their spark of power. “Now is not the fucking time Roman!” He yelled, the doors flying open from Logan’s powers. To his surprise, Roman let go, leaving the injured man to get to his feet. 

“Once everyone is safe, you are explaining yourself.”

“Where are Deceit and Patton?”

“Already in the car, I had business to take care of.” That worried Logan, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it as they made their way towards the car. Everyone was alive, which meant the mission was successful, so why was Roman so angry about this development?

Roman didn’t pay attention as Deceit hugged the stranger. He didn’t pay attention when Logan climbed in the back with the two who were unconscious. Roman’s mind was in another place, his hand curling around the phone in his pocket. If Logan’s intention was to destroy him, he would make the nerd say it out loud.


	21. { Status Report }

Patton was unconscious.

Virgil was unconscious.

Logan was in pain, enough that made it hard to think, but he couldn’t stop. 

He needed to keep going. First, stop the bleeding. Once they were further away from the compound, and Logan felt they were safe, he could properly treat his wound. Unzipping his bag, Logan began to take out what he would need, reminding himself this was a temporary fix. He just had to survive the next hour until they were far enough away. Slowly, he took off his suit jacket, peeling off his blood-soaked shirt next. It stung trying to lift it above his head.

“Looks like you had fun.” Remus chittered from his seat in the back. He was leaning over it, looking at Logan. It was obvious that wasn’t where his focus wanted to be as his eyes consistently darted to Patton.

“A miscalculation on my part.”

“Miscalculation, are you malfunctioning, robot?” If Logan hadn’t been in so much pain, he might have been offended. Then again, he was almost expecting harsh words from the twins if they ever found out. Though, Logan had not intended for them to find out. He cared deeply for his brothers but he had burned that bridge when he had left them, and for good reason. He chose their safety over his happiness and he would easily do it again. The twins probably didn’t see it like that.

Logan’s hands shook, trying to force his mind back to the task at hand. It hurt less if he didn’t breathe and didn’t move, but logically, he knew he had to. He could try to take the edge off with his pain killers, but the only ones he had would thin his blood and he would bleed more. That wouldn’t be helpful as he was already feeling light-headed. Logan would bear it, for now, his side was wrapped, hopefully, the bleeding would stop. The first item on his list was taken care of. 

Patton was next. 

Logan began looking over the man, who had lost more weight than was healthy, checking for other injuries. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Remus’ voice was softer, more gentle, almost afraid. Logan had known that the two were close but he hadn’t realized just how close they were.

“Dehydration, malnutrition, and I’m checking for other wounds and signs of concussions.”

Remus muttered something, Logan wasn’t sure if he was meant to hear it so he didn’t ask. “Can you fix him?” 

“I believe over time he should recover fully, but we will have to monitor him. At this time, I don’t know the extent of what my parents did.” 

“Our parents,” He muttered quietly. Did Remus really want to claim them as his own? Logan would be happy to disown his parents, to never call them his again, but they had raised him. They had fed and clothed them. He felt he owed them at least the title of parent.

Logan began to gently tap Patton’s face. “Morality, I need you to wake up.” He tried to keep his voice calm and gentle, but the car hit a bump and his voice shifted mid-sentence from the pain. “Morality, wake up.”

The weird pitch change seemed to resonate with Patton because he moved just a little bit. “Five more minutes, Re” He muttered, voice horse, not opening his eyes.

Logan quickly grabbed a water bottle, feeling a sense of relief fill him when he heard Patton speak. “You can go back to sleep soon, I just need you to drink this.”

He was compliant as Logan hooked an arm around Patton’s shoulders, lifting him up slowly and putting the water bottle to his lips. He began to drink.

“Slowly,” 

“You said he is dehydrated, shouldn’t he be getting as much water in his system as fast as possible?” Remus’ voice had an air of franticness to it and Logan slipped into a softer, more gentle tone without even realizing it. Seventeen years and the instinct to help and protect his younger brother was still strong.

“No, if he drinks too fast his body won’t absorb it. It’s possible that it will come back up in the form of regurgitation. A word here that means-”

“I know what it means, specs.”

Logan looked up at him, blinking slowly, right, Remus wasn’t 4 anymore. “Slowly is best. I also mixed nutrients into the bottles before we left. Just drinking half a bottle will help facilitate his recovery.” 

“You think of everything don’t cha?

Logan looked back to Remus, then down to Virgil, “Apparently not.” 

A silence fell between the two of them and Logan could almost hear the others listening in at this point.

“You suck at protecting people.”

“Yes, it would seem that is true.” Logan sighed, immediately regretting the force of his breath as pain branched through his side.

“Hopefully, you are better at fixing them.” 

“Hopefully.” Logan was thankful that Remus was the only one in the back row, Deceit and Sleep had elected to sit next to each other in the middle and Roman was upfront interrogating Emile, at least he had been. He wasn’t sure he could take Deceit’s snide comments or Roman’s anger. 

When Patton’s drinking got slower, Logan pulled the bottle away and closed it. He gently set Patton back down before looking at Virgil. He was still unconscious, and Logan didn't know how to help. He wasn’t even sure he could help. 

Looking out the window, they were probably far enough away. “Emile, can you pull over, somewhere discreet? Deceit, can you transform back into Patton?”

“Of course!” Emile said with a cheery chirp.

“What’s wrong squad less geek?”

“I need to perform a small amount of surgery, it would be helpful to have a bit of healing even if Deceit doesn’t have mastery over Patton’s powers.”

“And why should I help?” Deceit asked calmly.

“So that Emile doesn’t have to clean blood out of the carpet.” That earned a chuckle from Deceit and as Emile pulled into an alleyway where they could take care of this, he slipped out of the car.

“I’m only helping because it’s entertaining.”

“Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! I'm all caught up on my backlog of chapters, so from now on chapters should be coming out on Saturdays! Please feel free to comment, ask questions, leave theories, or anything like that. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story!


	22. { A Protector }

Remus watched with intense fascination as Logan used his powers to pull the bullet out of himself. He had always been interested in anatomy since it helped him with his powers but he rarely got to see the inside of humans, and unfortunately, the small bullet hole wasn’t enough for Remus. He wanted to see more, and his fingers itched to tear someone apart and Deceit was right there. He blamed the snake scaled man for the situation Patton was in.

“You need to study muscle functions, yes?” Logan asked, his eyes glazed from the pain and his jaw was set tightly. His voice, however, remained steady and he waved Remus to come closer.

“Yeah, but I’ll wait until you keel over and then I’ll just take you apart.” It would be a waste of a body if he didn’t, and Logan seemed pretty bad at taking care of himself.

“That may be a while, come over here and watch.” Logan’s hand reached over to a suture kit that he had and began to stitch his wound closed. Remus could only assume Deceit was focusing on the internal wounds. 

“You’ve done this before, sewing up flesh. What interesting things did you do before nerdy wolverine?”

“I’ve had multiple injuries before, some from you and Roman, some from… other people.”

“So only yourself,” His eyes finally began to scan over Logan’s unclothed torso, looking at the scars and the bruises. He wasn’t sure how to feel. Logan had been their enemy for so long, they fought him because that’s what Roman and Patton believed was the right thing to do. They had never caught him but Remus knew that some of those scars were probably caused by him. Should he feel guilty?

Now that he had his memories back, Remus mostly remembered a good older brother, a stick in the mud sure, but a good brother none-the-less. He remembered a brother who acted like a father, who tucked them in, read them stories, told him facts about the strange world they lived in. Remus remembered an older brother who played games with him even if that wasn’t what he preferred to be doing. He remembered an older brother that cared.

“Only myself.” Logan began tying a tight knot. His breath was labored but his hands were surprisingly still.

Remus responded before he even thought about it. That wasn’t necessarily surprising. “Do you always fight alone?”

“What?”

“You sent us away right? With all of my memories, I can’t remember you having any friends. You were always a nerd, but you had us.” Deceit had already walked away at this point but that didn’t mean he wasn’t listening. Remus didn’t care. “You got rid of us, so I can only assume you’ve been alone this whole time. It’s not like you can make friends, everyone in this car hates you. Except maybe the fluffy one. He reminds me of Patton. But mom and dad never really care about you right? You’re a bit too old to be doing the whole rebellious teenage thing. You know how to sew yourself up, do you have no loyalty towards them? I figured you got rid of us because you were jealous.”

Logan sighed, running a hand across his face as he leaned against the inside of the van. He looked tired. “Mother Necessity is shrewd, cunning, and manipulative. Had you two stayed, you would have become pawns in her story.” There was something that flashed through Logan’s eyes and Remus wished Patton was awake. He had always been better at reading other people’s emotions. “She didn’t show any interest in you until your powers manifested, and then she began to pretend that she was the perfect mother.” Logan closed his eyes. “I made the logical decision to separate you from that environment. I don’t regret it.”

“Really, well good to know you don’t care.”

“Remus, that's not…” He took a deep breath. That look he recognized, it was the look of frustration and hurt. Remus felt that way a lot before he met Patton. People always told him he had to act a certain way, be a certain way. They didn’t understand. So, what didn’t he understand? “I do not regret my decision because I’m proud of who you and Roman became. Without the influence of our parents, you both grew into your personalities, you became creative and innovative thinkers. I do not regret my choice because up until recently you and Roman were safe and happy. I missed you two. I know it is nigh impossible to protect you from every danger in this world. The logical exception was them, I could at least protect you from them.”

Remus didn’t answer, it was too deep. He didn’t want to have to think about it yet. He reached over and picked up Patton. “This is mine.”

“If you require him near you take this, when he wakes up make sure he drinks it.”

“It looks like shit.”

“It has chocolate protein powder mixed into it.”

“Neato.” Remus tossed the water bottle into the back seat before picking up Patton, hooking an arm under his legs and another under his shoulders. He wasn’t supposed to be this light and Remus hated it. He hated seeing his boyfriend in this state. His thoughts were spiraling in dark ways the loudest one screaming, ‘what if he had died’. If Patton had died and Remus only found out about his kidnapping afterward, would he be able to forgive himself? It didn’t matter, Patton was here. He clung close to the soft man, holding him tightly and protectively.

Remus climbed onto the very back seat, laying Patton down and picking up the water bottle before curling up beside him. He closed his eyes tightly, listening to the others. Logan must have fallen asleep because there were two sets of soft breathing behind him. Emile was talking to the new guy who was complaining about desperately needing coffee and Roman was sitting awkwardly next to Deceit.

Everything was fine. They were all safe. It would be okay. Remus would make sure it would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone! I think I may have mentioned this a few chapters back, trying to get everything posted was hectic so I don't quite remember, but I'm fairly new to A03, so I'm still getting used to the tagging system. If you think there are any other tags I should add please let me know. Also, I don't have a beta reader so if there are details that you feel are missing please let me know. I have probably thought them through but completely forgot to slip them into the story because I figure that you know everything that's going on in my brain. Anyway, thanks for having me and I hope you are enjoying the story so far.


	23. { Angry Revelations }

Their safe house ended up being hours away, in the middle of a suburban town, sitting inconspicuously amongst the other houses. It would be a safe place for them to heal and regroup, and, if given the chance, Logan probably would have done just that. Unfortunately, this was his plan and his house. He had to be the caretaker and orchestrator. He had to continue to fight and push. Things had changed but he still had to protect the people he cared about. 

He had been renting this house out to other families for the past seven years. It had been a nice source of income that he could easily hide. Logan kept his identity a secret and his involvement to a minimum. This house had always been his backup plan if something ever happened. Luckily, the last tenants had moved out a few months ago and with finals coming up he hadn’t had time to search for new tenants. At least one thing had gone right for him.

There were four rooms, not nearly enough for all of them to have their own private space but it was a temporary solution for the time being. Logan wasn’t sure how long any of them would be staying, but he didn’t want to chase any of them away. Logan had insisted that Patton and Virgil share a room, for the time being, as they were both the most injured. It would be easier to keep track of their health if both of them were close. Remus, of course, didn’t like that but eventually caved when he was told he could stay with Patton as much as he needed to, as long as he didn’t disrupt Virgil. 

Technically, Remus and Roman were sharing a room, though Logan didn’t expect that Remus would be in his room often. Deceit and his brother were another until they decided to leave. Logan was surprised they hadn’t already. He wasn’t sure what kept Deceit around but he could tell Sleep was fascinated by the whole situation. That left Logan sharing a room with Emile. 

It made the most sense since Emile was probably the only person who trusted him in this whole situation and Logan wasn’t sure how he could repay that trust. It was nice to not be completely alone when everything was falling apart, but he didn’t intend on telling that to anyone. Hopefully, Emile would enjoy being in the room alone, since Logan planned on spending most of his time tending to the two injured men. Logan was sure he wouldn’t be in his room much either. 

This was his fault, the state of Patton, the state of Virgil, all of it was his fault. If he had planned things more appropriately, if he had prepared for more scenarios, if he had noticed Patton’s differences, none of this would have happened. A soft sigh broke through his lips as he continued to type on his computer, checking Virgil and Patton’s vital’s regularly. Patton had been waking up for brief moments. They had been able to get him to drink a bit more, with more of the protein supplements added to his water, but Logan hadn’t brought much with one backpack he had snuck out of the house. He was beginning to run low. Patton also didn’t seem coherent when he woke up. The guilt gnawed deeply at Logan and he was already starting to fray at the seams. 

“ReRe…” Patton’s soft voice echoed through the quiet room, a signal for Logan to start preparing another mixture. This time was different. Patton opened his eyes and if the look on Remus’ face was any indication, he was actually beginning to focus a bit. 

“Yeah Patso, I’m here. Not even a rabid honey badger would stop me from being by your side.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Two days, at least, probably more, but that’s okay, you dream and tell me all about it.”

Patton laughed a little leaning into Remus’ hand. “Do you want to tell me a story? I missed your voice, and it might help me wake up.”

“Yeah,” Remus almost choked and Logan watched the tears slide down his brother’s face. “Yeah, I’ll tell you the most graphic horror story I can come up with.”

“I love you, ReRe. Just no creepy-crawly death dealers okay?”

“Yeah, okay, okay.” He crawled into the bed with Patton, pulling the shorter man’s head onto his lap.

Logan felt like he was intruding on such a soft moment, so he set down his computer and stepped out of the room, trying not to put too much pressure on his still injured leg. His body still hurt, most of his bruises having faded to a light brownish-yellow color, but his leg and his side still stung with fresh pain. The wounds were healing well, but he didn’t want to pull the stitches from overuse. 

“You’ve been avoiding me, haven’t you?”

He sighed again, turning to look at Roman. Logan didn’t really have the energy for this but he knew there was no avoiding it. “Surprisingly, no, I wasn’t avoiding you Roman, I have been attempting to help Patton and Virgil.”

“They wouldn't even be in this state if it wasn’t for you, none of us would be.”

He knew that; he knew that better than anyone. “Very astute of you Roman, why don’t you tell me all the reasons this is my fault?” Logan could feel his anger rising. He needed to control it, but he also knew Roman needed to get this all out and off his chest.

“Oh, you want to hear why it’s your fault? Where do I even start? You act as if you were so smart, so how did you not know that there would be a trap waiting for you? If you had figured that out, maybe Virgil wouldn’t be laying in that room unconscious.” Logan hadn’t told them fully what happened. He knew keeping secrets during all of this wasn’t the best idea, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit how very much it was his fault. “Oh, or let’s talk about how you have bossed us all around this entire time without providing any kind of explanation. What are we just tools for you to use? Pawns in a chess game you’ve created in your head?”

Logan flinched before straightening his back, standing as tall as his body would let him. Of course, they weren’t tools. He wasn’t like his parents. He really was trying to do his best to protect all of them. “Are you done?”

“No, no I’m not, let’s also talk about how it was someone who works for your family that replaced Patton. How long was he slowly wasting away in that hell? How do I know that wasn’t all a part of some grand plan you have to build us back up, gain our trust and then tear us apart. You say you want to make it up to us but you have been barely useful through all of this. Damn, she was right, you are just a computer virus.”

Logan’s eyes sparked with uncontrolled electricity, the sound of glass picture frames cracking echoed in the nearly silent room. “Do you know why she calls me that?” Roman couldn’t read the emotions in Logan’s eyes and Logan didn’t even know what he was feeling. All he knew was that it hurt. “She calls me a computer virus because I was designed and made for a specific purpose, but once I went rouge my only use was to be eradicated. Do you genuinely believe that my only purpose is to die?” His voice was too calm, it sent a shiver up Roman’s spine as the red smoke began to pour from his body subconsciously.

“What if I said yes?” His voice shook, he didn’t mean it, but if Logan wanted a fight he wasn’t going to back down. 

The electricity faded from Logan’s eyes and Roman was left to look at a set of blue eyes that looked much too exhausted and much too old to belong to someone who was only 6 years older than him. He shouldn’t have said that. He knew he shouldn’t have said that. “Then I have failed you in more ways than one.” Logan turned, apparently ending their conversation before Roman got any of the answers he wanted or needed. Logan couldn’t just end the conversation like that. Roman needed answers, but his voice wouldn’t come out. 

For a brief moment, Logan paused, hand on the wall as he held himself up, a million thoughts going through his head. Roman must have been cornered by their mother during the raid, which meant there was no reason to keep up pretenses. “Roman, if you want the truth so badly, you should know  a King is nothing, without those whom he serves, and I have always served you, my prince.”

As Logan turned around, he didn’t see the flash of recognition in Roman’s eyes; he didn’t see the flood gates of memory open, and he didn’t see the red mist solidify into a sword. He did feel the back of the sword hit his head before passing out onto the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so proud of myself! I am sick, just a head cold, and I still got this out before 11 am! Go me! Though honestly, I wish I had finished it earlier so that I could get someone else to look it over because sick brain isn't always the best at editing, but it's done. It's out, and for now, I'm happy with it.


	24. { Regretful Aftermath }

_“A king is nothing without those whom he serves, and I serve you, my prince.” A young Roman sat watching the TV, trying to scoot closer, completely enthralled with the cartoon._

_“Ro, you shouldn’t sit so close.” His older brother had brought in a bowl of snacks, pulling Roman back towards the couch._

_“No! I have to see what’s next!”_

_“You’ve seen this movie about 26 times, you know what happens next.”_

_“But Looogannnn!” He whined, earning a pillow being thrown at him by Remus._

_“It needs more blood!” Remus jumped off the couch, almost landing on Roman but Logan caught him in his arms, falling backward onto the couch._

_“No bloody movie!”_

_“You aren’t my dad!”_

_“No! I am your king!” Logan pulled up Remus’ shirt, blowing a raspberry on his stomach while tickling him, causing the young boy to squirm and giggle._

_“Then I’m the prince!” Roman said, crawling over to jump on top of Logan. “And… and a…” He was struggling to remember the exact words. “A King is… is nothing without those he serves, like me!”_

_Logan laughed, grabbing his other brother and snuggling both of them, pinning them to the couch so they couldn’t escape. “You can be the prince and Remus can be the duke.”_

_“Awe, I don’t want to be the duke, he doesn’t have power.”_

_“But a duke controls the armies, which means you get to organize the wars.”_

_Remus’ eyes lit up. “Yes! FEAR ME!” He squirmed out of Logan’s arms and Roman watched as his brother went to get their toy swords, excitement shining in both of their eyes. The two fought over what movie to watch, but it devolved into nonsense as Logan got between them and was stabbed by Remus._

_“Oh no, I have died.” He fell backward dramatically, Roman and Remus jumping on him. He sat there pretending to be lifeless, but Roman could feel his smile. They knew their brother liked to be serious but he always made time for them. He always smiled for them._

Logan wasn’t smiling now.

“Oh no, oh no, what did I do?” Roman let his sword disappear as the realization came crashing down on him. His eyes traced over Logan’s limp body, a hand covering his mouth. He needed help. He needed to fix this.

“Re-” Roman cut himself off. Remus was with Patton, pulling him away from their currently comatose comrade would be a struggle and a half. Patton and Virgil were out of commission and Roman didn’t know anything about Sleep or Emile.

“Deceit, can you help me with something?” He fought to make sure his voice didn’t waver, putting on the best act that he could. “You really screwed up this time, Roman.” His eyes never left Logan’s still form. At least he was still breathing.

Deceit came walking towards the living room, pausing as he saw Logan. “My expertise may be in deception, but hiding a body from your friends is going to be rather difficult.”

“He is alive you dramatic snake.”

“What do you need me for then?”

“I don’t know, help me get him to the couch?” Roman had dealt with a few injuries in the past but nothing this severe, Patton was normally the one who looked them over and patched them up. 

“Alright, you take his legs and I will get his head. His leg is injured so hold him by the knees.” They both got into position moving Logan gently onto the couch.”

“I never expected you to be the brash and impulsive one of the group,” Deceit said sarcastically. 

“Thank you, I pride myself in being level headed, but something about him just… it just gets to me. I want to push his buttons. I guess that comes with being brothers.”

“Oh, you finally figured it out?”

“What?” Roman’s mouth dropped as he looked up at Deceit in confusion. “Did everyone know but me? Oh my Disney, does Remus know?”

“Oh honey, I’m just observant. There are some striking facial similarities if you pay really close attention, though it would be more noticeable if Logic here didn’t pride himself on a slim figure. He keeps his muscle mass low while you, on the other hand, are built like a Greek god.”

“Thank you, I try.” Roman adored the compliments, but the good feelings only lasted until his eyes once again fell on Logan.

“Want to talk about it?”

“We don’t even know each other that well, how can I trust you?”

“You can’t, but you don’t have many other options, and I’m assuming everyone you could talk to about this is either unconscious or tending to the unconscious.”

Pursing his lips, Roman flopped into a chair, dropping all pretense. He had just gotten access to all of the childhood memories he previously couldn’t remember, of course, he needed to talk to someone about this.

“Plus, most people think I’m a pathological liar. They probably wouldn’t believe me even if I did blab your secret.”

Roman took a bit of solace in that and nodded. “I don’t even know where to begin. Suddenly, I find myself with a long lost brother, the one who intentionally gave me away, parents who I think might love me, but a nagging overwhelming sense of betrayal knowing that I have come from a family of villains.”

“Truly that means that you are destined to become a villain, doesn’t it? I mean it’s in your blood.”

Roman brought his hand to his chest and gasped, “How dare! I am not defined by the ties of my bloodline!”

“Then, why does it matter?”

“What?”

“Well, if you aren’t defined by the ties of your bloodline then what does it matter if your blood parents are villains.”

Roman blinked at him but then a small smile appeared on his face. “I guess you are right,” his smile faltered, “That doesn’t change the fact that my so-called brother,” He gestured to Logan, “abandoned Remus and I. That is simply unacceptable.”

“Oh assuredly, there is no valid reason why you might leave someone you care about behind, that must have just him being a monster.”

Roman opened up his mouth and then closed it, letting out a sigh. “I don’t like you.” His voice was a little joking and playful, but resigned. Roman didn’t understand sarcasm a lot of the time, but he could understand this. Deceit was leading him through all of this, helping him process everything on his mind. “I should have tried to listen calmly.”

“You do what is in your best interest. It might have been better for you to get your anger out so that you are able to listen to the conversation calmly later, but no one can tell you what you need.”

Roman looked Deceit over, “You are interesting, and I like it.” Deceit just stood, shrugging at Roman’s comment. 

“There are more layers underneath if you are willing to dig Princey.”

Roman nodded, watching as Deceit walked away. He felt better, maybe even a little calm and Deceit’s presence. “Wait, what’s your name? I don’t want to keep calling you Deceit.”

“Not yet Princey, you have to prove yourself trustworthy first.”

A smile crawled onto Roman’s lips, maybe even a little blush, but as he looked back at Logan, the guilt came back full force. Roman was trying to rectify the strong older brother he could now remember, with this weak broken man in front of him. Logan had been pushing for the past few days and a small head injury probably wasn’t the only reason he was unconscious. His fingers ghosted over the phone in his pocket and Roman bit his lip in frustration. He had made a mistake. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There has been a lot of drama unfolding in the past few chapters. I think I'm going to slow things down a little bit for the next few, maybe give a bit more insight into the relationships I have been building. We haven't spent hardly any time with Remy and Emile. What do you all think? Do you want more character moments or should we continue on with the action?


	25. { Coffee and Cartoons }

“I don’t need sleep, I need coffee.”

“I think you are developing an addiction. You drink more coffee than Uncle Iroh does tea.”

Looking down his nose, past his dark sunglasses,the taller man raised his eyebrow, “Was I supposed to get that reference, or is that like, a real person?”

“Oh heavens no. Uncle Iroh is a character from an amazing TV show, Avatar the Last Airbender. He provides sage advice to his nephew throughout the show and is there to help people who are in need. Typically he will drink tea as a way to calm himself or to connect with other people, there was even a time when he sat down with a man who mugged him and discussed what had driven that man to such a life. It was-”

“Alright girl, I’m going to stop you there, not that I’m not interested, because I am, but” he spun the car key around his finger. “You have two choice, you can either drive me to coffee and we can discuss this over some much needed s’mores frappachinos, or I can drive myself. You said it yourself, I probably need more sleep and letting a sleep deprived person drive would be a bad idea.”

His face had a smirk etched deep into its structure and Emile debated for a moment. He didn’t want to be an accomplice to this man’s caffeine addiction but he also didn’t want Sleep to accidentally run into someone.

“Deal, but only if you tell me your real name, or something I can call you other than Sleep. I’ve never liked the code names, they are all about what you do and not who you are.”

That smirk took on a light edge of fondness before coming back full force. “Oh that’s easy. You can call me Remy, my brother may be secretive but I am a tell all book. Feel free to read me any time, doll.” He tossed the keys, making his way towards the front door.

Somehow Emile doubted Remy was that open, but he was interested to try.

The drive to Starbucks wasn’t long and was actually rather pleasant. Remy mostly let Emile talk, the cheerful man switching between a serious tirade about the health benefits of sleep, and references to cartoons that Remy had only ever heard of in passing. Teaching Remy about the serious side of cartoons would have to come later, for now Emile was enjoying having someone to talk to. 

Logan had never been one for conversation. Though he always walked around as if he had a confidence that couldn’t be shaken, Emile had seen him, more than a few times, coming back to the car and slumping in exhaustion and defeat, the weight of the world on his shoulders. What did you say to someone who was bearing a weight he was forced to carry alone? The few times Emile had tried to start respectful conversations, he received one word answers. Logan was never rude but always reserved. Emile wasn’t even sure Logan would consider them friends, but Emile could hope. After all, Logan was his only friend. People at the estate tended to keep to themselves, and since Emile had been required to be available any time he was needed, he hadn’t gotten out much. The situation they were in right now wasn’t ideal, but he was enjoying being able to be around so many people.

“Alright, I have my coffee, tell me more about this Uncle Iroh person.” Remy sat across from Emile. He had taken the seat that faced the door, but Emile didn’t mind. He knew Remy probably felt the need to watch his back.

“Well, I don’t want to spoil too much because if we are going to be friends you are going to need to watch that show, but Uncle Iroh is a figure head in the show that is used to represent a lot of different factors, human’s ability for growth and change, the effects of tragedy and loss on a soul, honestly the show is so well written. I’m surprised you’ve never seen it.”

“Didn’t get much of a chance to watch cartoons growing up, and after I was kicked out Dee and I didn’t get much of a chance at a normal life.”

“Right, I don’t mean to pry but is it okay if I ask about that? How did you two end up mixed up with them?”

“I should be asking you the same, a sweet innocent guy like you, wouldn’t expect you to get mixed up in an internationally feared crime family.”

Emile rubbed the back of his neck, giving Remy a sheepish smile. “It’s not a very interesting story, I’m sure, but it’s mine. If you would like to hear it though, I am going to try to use it as leverage to get you to sleep.”

“Nah babes, I don’t intend on sleeping ever again.”

“Th-That’s really not healthy.”

“First off, we don’t know that yet. Those of use who were forced into these weird states, we aren’t exactly human anymore.” He took another sip of his drink, “And since my powers deal with dreams, it's possible that not sleeping will be fine.”

“It’s also possible that not sleeping could affect you more, if a source for your power, right? Cutting it off could have all kinds of repercussions.”

Remy shrugged but he didn’t seem bothered and Emile wished he could pull the sunglasses off of his face to get some actual eye contact. Did he not care if a lack of sleep killed him, or back fired and killed his brother? That was an investigation for a different time. It was best to handle the problem at hand first.

“Remy, why don’t you want to sleep? What are you concerned about?”

“Really hun?” He finally pulled off his glasses, and finally looked Emile dead in the eyes. “Take a long hard think about that one.”

He did, though it didn’t take Emile long to figure out what could be going on in Remy’s head. “Are you worried that if you go to sleep, when you wake up you will be back there?”

“Close, but not quite, I was in a coma for two months, babes.” His voice was soft and vulnerable and Emile couldn’t help but reach out, leaving his hand on the middle of the table so that Remy could meet him halfway. He didn’t. “It’s a silly worry, I know that, but I’m concerned that if I go back to sleep, life will pass by me all over again.”

“It’s not silly. You missed out on a portion of your life because of other people. It makes sense. What if I promised to wake you up?”

Remy smirked, shaking his head and watching Emile’s hand retreat. He slid his sunglasses back on. “That’s not how it works,”

“Right, of course not, you barely know me and we haven’t built any kind of rapport, but Remy, for what it’s worth, when you do inevitably pass out, I’ll be there when you wake up. Maybe it will be easier to fall asleep if you have some positive associations with waking up. I mean, if you think I could be a positive association. If not I could always talk to your brother about it-“

His rambling was cut short as Remy began to laugh. “You are too cute. I don’t intend on sleeping, but if I do pass out, I expect you to be in my bed with me in the morning.”

Emile’s cheeks lit up like a sky filled with lanterns. He desperately tried to push it down by changing the subject. He had a bad habit of falling for men who were out of his reach and he always fell too quickly. He would keep himself in check this time, but still his laugh had been beautiful. Emile couldn’t help but want more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’m aware that Emile is more Emile and less Dr. Picani. There is a reason for that, mostly that my ability to write therapists is naff! Also, in this AU, Emile hasn’t become a therapist yet. If y’all have any tips for me for writing therapists I would greatly appreciate it. Book knowledge on psychological phenomena will only take you so far.
> 
> For those of you following the story you should get a surprise this week. I might... MIGHT... be able to get a few extra chapters. We will see! Feel free to comment. I like to try to respond to all comments unless I feel incapable of doing so without spoilers. If you just want to comment but don’t want a response you can type *whisper* at the bottom and I will just admire you from afar!


	26. { Cuttlefish Kisses }

Light giggles filled the air as Patton squirmed away from Remus. “Re, stop.” He tried to wiggle away between fits of laughter.

“Never, if this is the only way to keep you in bed then I will keep tickling you until you burst at the seams and Patton goo gets all over this bed.” Remus’ smile was bigger than it had been in days, months even, and it was a soft genuine smile as he looked down at the man he loved. Despite his statement he did stop tickling Patton’s side, giving the man some time to catch his breath. Patton was recovering remarkably fast, even for someone with powers. Remus wasn’t sure if it was the detailed schedule that Logan had set up, or Patton’s own healing abilities.

“I can’t stay in bed forever, my little cephalopod, I have to help.”

“You just woke up, you’re still recovering, can’t you just forgo helping someone for once?” He pouted, laying his full body weight onto Patton so that the shorter male had no hope of getting up. He also conjured a small hoard of baby cuttlefish with wings. They batted at Patton with their tiny tentacles causing Patton to giggle again.

“You know that’s not how it works,” His hands began to gently guide through Remus’ hair, feeling his boyfriend slowly begin to relax and watching the cuttlefish dissipate. It was no secret, even to Patton, how tense Remus had been while he was still recovering. “I have these abilities for a reason, and I can only assume that reason is to help people.”

“You are so sweet, I just want to eat you whole.” Remus sighed, hiding his face in Patton’s neck. “Why did you choose me?”

“What?”

“That other guy was pretending to be you. He got us to break up, but he had some valid points. I’m wild, chaotic, not really good and not really bad either, so why did you choose me? Wouldn’t Roman have been better?”

It was Patton’s turn to sigh, his strong arms wrapping around his boyfriend and pulling him in closer.

“I’m not going to lie and say that you are better than Roman in every way. Lying only hurts people when they find out, but Remus, you are perfect in your own way. I know you don’t believe in yourself a lot of times but you are so creative and so amazing. That book you are writing, it’s such a great thriller novel, a little hard for me to read but I know people are going to love it. You say you are wild and chaotic, but I see it as eccentric and spontaneous, which I love about you. I never know what to expect, and you always keep me on my toes. I love you just because you are you.” Patton played with the little streak of white in Remus’ hair.

He had explained once, in high school, Remus had gotten so pissed at being compared and mistaken for Roman, that he dyed his hair with rainbow streaks. That was the first time that he and Roman had really fought, and that was the first time they had really out right promised that nothing would get between them again. It was the two of them against the world, and Remus kept that streak in his hair to remind himself of that. Now it was the three of them though, with Patton and his brother by his side, Remus was sure he could take on anything.

“I love you PATronus.”

“Awe, a Harry Potter themed nickname, I love it.” Patton leaned up and gave Remus a gentle kiss, which Remus would have been happy to deepen, had he not heard a fake gag.

“Would you two get a room?” Virgil was slowly pushing himself up, his body shaking with every movement.

“Virgil!” Patton tried to wiggle out of Remus’ arms and wasn’t stopped this time. He quickly made his way over to the emo’s bed, putting a hand on his shoulder, but his hand phased right through. “Virgil... what happened?”

“I… I don’t remember much.” Remus frowned, they had asked Logan, who gave them a surprisingly succinct account of the events. He normally talked a lot more, and at the time, Remus hadn’t cared.

“I think… I think Zero Sum injected me with the power serum, again, but if that’s what he did, I shouldn’t be alive. How did we get out? Where’s Logan? Damn, he’s okay right?”

“Language kiddo, who’s Logan? Remus told me we all got out in one piece for the most part.”

“Logan is Logic.”

“What? Really?” Patton asked, “We are working with Logic? Is he… how did that happen?” His eyes darted back and forth as he tried to piece together what had happened.

“Since Dreary Sue is awake, maybe the two of us can fill you in.” Remus took Patton’s hand, pulling him back to the bed. “Then you can meet all of the fresh meat we’ve acquired.” He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes and Patton wondered what they had all gotten themselves pulled into while he was away.

“Okay, but after that, we need to figure out what’s going on with Virgil, it feels like his body isn’t even there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I try to keep a pretty consistent update schedule of posting on a specific day, but sometimes I will have extra days off and I will let out an extra chapter. Today is one of those days! So I hope you enjoyed this short extra chapter!


	27. { Waiting Game }

“Okay, you all teamed up with Logic to help rescue me and now we are in hiding because you seriously pissed off Mother Necessity and Zero Sum. Also, we have three other new people in our little family, Deceit, Sleep, and Emile?” Patton summarized.

“That’s about the jist of it.” Virgil was still sitting on his bed, not sure how he was able to sit on the bed but not be touched by Patton. He was kind of freaking out, but knew they didn’t really have time to address that.

“Well, if that’s all, we’ve faced a lot worse before.” Pat's voice was chipper but left no room for argument. He let out a contented sigh before closing his eyes and leaning into Remus.

The room fell into soft stunned silence. This was the worst it had gotten, but Patton’s optimism made Virgil chuckle, and then it poured into rolling laughter. “If we have, I don’t remember it.” Somehow, having Patton back to his optimistic and cheerful self, was a safe harbor in this storm they had found themselves in. Virgil allowed himself to relax as his eyes closed. All of them were together. Patton was probably right, they had faced a lot before, they could probably face this now. He had been distracted by his laughter and hadn’t seen Patton coming closer until he felt the warmth and pressure on his shoulder. Immediately, his anxiety skyrocketed, how had Patton done that when a moment ago it had passed right through. As if reacting to that thought, Patton’s hand did just that and Virgil was beginning to understand. 

“Damn it, are you serious? My powers mutated and now they are controlled by my anxiety?” Part of his shadows had always responded to his anxious thoughts but this was new, and it made him angry. As anger overrode his anxiety, he became more and more solid. “Great, the most anxious person in the group has a power affected by anxiety.”

“Isn’t that for the best?”

He snapped his head up to look at Patton, trying to gather just what his friend meant by that. 

“I mean, you’ve dealt with anxiety for a while, so you know coping techniques and you know how to manage it. Sure, sometimes your anxiety is too much for you to handle, but nowadays that is becoming more and more rare right? You are the person in our group most suited to being able to handle that because you already know how to.”

His anger began to dissipate slowly. Patton had a point, but he was still frustrated. “That doesn’t explain  _ how  _ my powers mutated. I know more of the serum was forced into my body, but I shouldn’t have survived that process.” He attempted to stand, pushing Patton back a little bit so that he had room to steady himself. “We need a house meeting, and I need to talk to Logan.”

“I’m so excited to meet everyone!” Of course that would be Patton’s biggest concern.

The three walked out of the makeshift infirmary, Remus never letting go of Patton’s hand, always trying to pull him closer. It was a short walk to the living room and they were hoping to find people in the common areas. They were not expecting to find Roman staring at a sleeping Logan with a look of concern on his face. 

“Ah, Padre, I thought I heard your melodious voice wafting from the depths of our manor, how are you feeling?” He put on a brave face, smiling as he stood and walked over to Patton.

“Right as rain, but I’d feel better with a hug.” He said, holding out one of his arms and grabbing at the air, trying to coax Roman to him. The other hand was still held firmly by Remus.

Roman didn’t hesitate to pull his friend into a hug, holding him tight. “I don’t believe I deserve your love right now Patton, I have done something dramatically un-prince like.”

“You never have to deserve my love Roman, I give it freely.” He kissed Roman’s forehead before turning and kissing Remus’ cheek, knowing his boyfriend often got jealous. “But I can feel the pain in this room, and I don’t know who it belongs to. Let’s sit down and talk kiddos. It’s been awhile since we have all been together.”

Remus held Patton’s hand tighter, earning him another kiss to the cheek as they sat on the couch across from the sleeping, though Patton was beginning to expect unconsciousness, Logic.

**{ ~*~ }**

Roman had explained everything that happened; Remus was unfazed about the news of his long lost brother; Patton was curious and trying to get a handle on the situation, but Virgil, he was furious. He shot out of his seat, pacing back and forth as he bit his lip trying not to say anything. Roman just had to push buttons didn’t he.

“What’s your damage, Heather?” Roman was trying to act strong, act like he wasn’t already a frayed nerve on edge.

“What’s my damage? What’s my damage?” As his anger rose so did his voice and it shook the house as his shadows once again took form, darker and deeper this time. “Logan came to us, a bleeding broken mess, proceeded to help us rescue Patton and get us somewhere safe.” He had to assume the safe house was Logan’s no one else could have afforded something like this. “And when you find out that this whole time he was your brother, your knee jerk reaction is to hit him in the back of the head so hard that he falls unconscious! You are attacking our alley, that’s my damage!”

Roman rose in anger. He knew he had done something wrong but he was prideful. He wasn’t going to bow to Virgil’s anger. He opened his mouth, hand in the air but before a word could come out a calm washed over him. He knew this feeling and didn’t resist as it took away all of his anger, frustration, and fear. He could see in Virgil’s eyes that the same was true for him.

“If it helps both of you,” Patton started, “He’s not unconscious because of the head wound.” They had both sat down, looking at Patton to explain, the freckled man running his fingers gently through Remus’ hair. “I’ve been trying to parcel out everything, it’s weird being around so many people again after so long, but Logan, it is Logan, right Virge? He is in a lot of pain, and it’s not physical. I think right now, he doesn’t want to wake up.”

Silence washed over them as Virgil and Roman both took in the words that Patton had said. Virgil didn’t see the guilt that set itself into Roman’s face, but Patton could feel it.

“Pat, I need to wake him, I need answers, I need…” Virgil’s voice trailed off, pulling at the sleeves on his jacket. Anxiety and fear came from Virgil and Patton attempted to increase the call of his calm.

“Kiddo, I’m not saying he will never wake up, he just needs some time. If we could get in there and talk to him we might be able to speed things up. By the looks of it, my calming aura isn’t having much effect on him, but considering all of the times we have struggled to chase his emotions, I’m not surprised.”

Virgil nodded, knowing that ‘Logic’ had always been a tough subject for Patton because he seemed to skirt around the empath’s abilities. “Fine, so what do we do?”

It was the answer he knew he didn’t want, but it was the only answer Patton could give him at this time. “We wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another extra day at home means an another extra chapter! I wish I could release chapters more than once a week for you all, unfortunately I do have responsibilities and other adult things. It just means I get super excited when I have these flashes of extra free time! Hope you all are staying safe!


	28. { Nonnegotiable }

“We’re back babes!!!” The door was dramatically thrown open by Remy. He walked in, announcing his presence to the whole house, not caring who he woke up or disturbed. In one hand he held a tray of coffees, each in different flavors and sizes. In the other, he held a beverage of his own, still half full. His brother peeked his head out from the kitchen where he had been eavesdropping on the others.

“Welcome back oh queen of the realm.” Deceit said sarcastically and Remy gasped as if he had actually been offended.

“Oh, Hello! You must be Sleep and Emile.” Patton had popped out of the living room, Remus in tow.

“You can call me Remy babes, and you look a lot cuter when you're conscious.”

He smiled at the compliment, feeling Remus cling to his hand and letting out a possessive growl.

“Oh hush guard dog, you’ve made it perfectly clear that you’ve pissed on that tree, but girl, I am allowed to appreciate art and there are too many snacks in this house for me to count.” He turned his way towards the kitchen. “Bro, go help Em, I’m sure he could use a hand. I brought extra for all of us.”

“You are insufferable.” Deceit gently smacked him upside the back of the head before helping Emile with the door and the other two trays of drinks. “How did you afford all of this?”

“Well…” Remy whispered sheepishly, playing with the straw in his mouth.

“I offered,” Emile chimed in, giving Des a gentle smile of appreciation. “When Logan was first trying to get me away from this mess he gave me a very generous amount of money, but now that I’m pulled into all of this, I thought we all could benefit from it. I’m really not sure what I would even do with that much money other than maybe start paying for an education.”

“Emmie babes over here wants to be a psychologist. He’s going to fix all the crazy.”

“He can’t fix you, you are far too gone.” Deceit muttered to his brother who, again, feigned offense.

“So Emile, do you have powers as well?” Patton could see the two brothers building into a bit of a bickering match. Remus and Roman used to do it all the time, and Patton had found changing the subject often helped. “ I want to get to know more about everyone. What about Logan, how well do you know him?” Patton was practically vibrating with excitement and Emile, having found someone of his enthusiasm, began to get excited as well.

“Nope, no powers for me, I am the Sokka of the group, and I don’t know Logan as much as I would like to but I can tell you what I do know. I know he can be a bit closed off! Then again, you’ve been fighting him for years. I’m sure you know him better than I do, or at least a different aspect of him. Maybe if we team up we can get him to talk about himself more.”

“He’s currently asleep.” Deceit muttered under his breath, taking one of the coffees his brother had gotten everyone.

“Asleep, well, that’s good right, he hasn’t been resting well for a few days.”

Emile could tell by the change in the air that it wasn’t the good type of sleep and he adjusted accordingly. “I see, all we can do is wait and hope that this helps. Where is he? We should probably get him somewhere comfortable.”

“Currently on the couch.” Roman huffed, having joined the gaggle of gentlemen in the hallway. Virgil is sitting next to him now trying to watch over him.” He shifted, muttering under his breath, “Fat lot of help that will be.”

“I’m glad Virgil is awake as well. It seems Logan is the only one who needs a bit of rest now.”

“Fluffy one,” Deceit said, taking another sip of his drink, “Can’t you heal?”

“I can,” Patton said, “But I don’t think it’s his physical injuries that are the problem. I checked him over real quick while Remy and Emile were still gone, and his physical injuries just aren’t enough to keep him like this, but I felt pain rolling off of him in waves. Emotional pain, not physical.”

“He always was an emotionally repressed bastard. If we could get inside his head would that help?” Deceit muttered, shaking the now empty drink.

“Yes! Of course, it would!”

“Nope,” Remy said from the kitchen, walking out with a different drink in his hand. “I know where this is going Dee and I don’t like it. Whatever you are thinking, drop it.”

Deceit put his hands up in submission, falling silent as the rest of the group looked at Remy.

“Remy, what was he suggesting?” Emile’s voice was soft, trying to prod the subject further, but also understanding that it was probably a touchy one.

“He wants me to use my powers to go into Logan’s dreams and manipulate them to wake him up. Two problems with that, one as I promised, I’m never sleeping again, and two, I’m not even sure it would work. The past three months, my powers haven’t been my own. I’ve been someone’s toy to use and manipulate, so I don’t plan on allowing someone to repeat that.”

The group was silent, Remy’s power was their best option, but how could they expect him to use it when they didn’t know what he had been through.

“Isn’t not sleeping like really unhealthy?” Patton asked, looking at Remy with pleading eyes.

“Doll, I don’t fall for the puppy eyes, I’m a cat person, and we will have to see if it’s unhealthy. Us freakshows aren’t exactly human anymore.”

A look of anger and hatred crossed Deceit’s face before vanishing just as quickly as it came. He resisted the urge to run his hand over the scales on his face, no. They really weren’t human.

And Remy wasn’t planning on budging. They would have to find a different way to wake up Logan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not a fan of writing dialogue-heavy chapters. I know it was needed so that I could start addressing some of the underlying issues that the team is going to have to face (and I just love Remy) but writing these chapters is still so hard for me. Oh well, it's done, and next, I can write some other chapters. What do y'all think? Should the next one be more Deceit and Remy centered or should it be more Roman and Virgil centered? I have ideas for both I'm just not sure which is going to advance the story better.


	29. { Coffee Confessionals }

“It’s not going to happen, Dee.” Remy had stomped off to their room, his brother right behind him. “Just because you want to help out these hero wanna-bes does not mean I have to.”

“I wasn’t going to force you.” Deceit’s voice was quiet and calm. He didn’t match the raised tone of Remy’s frustration, if anything he sounded bored.

“Oh, BS.” He pointed the straw in his cup at his brother. “I can see the way your eyes wander all over that idiot. You can’t lie to me. You want him to like you. I’m not going to play that game for you. You may be older but you don’t control me queen!” 

Dee raised his eyebrow at Remy, crossing his arms. “When have I ever forced you to do anything?” His voice dipped dangerously low, showing Remy just how serious he was.

Remy lowered his straw, looking Dee over.

“And do you really think that I would sell you out like that? Even if it was for someone fine?”

“Don’t try to guilt me gurl.”

“Answer my question, do you think I would sell you out like that?”

Remy relaxed, allowing the tension to drop out of his shoulders. “Maybe if the ass was really fine.”

Dee couldn’t help but snort, quickly covering his mouth. “You are not allowed to be funny when we are having a serious conversation.” 

Remy dropped onto the bed, making sure not to let a drop of his drink escape. “Too bad, I’m always entertaining.”

Dee walked over and he sat next to Remy, closing his eyes and running a hand over his face. “You are insufferable.” Though he was fairly good at hiding it, his lisp showed just a bit as he said those words. This whole ordeal had been exhausting for all of them, Deceit included.

“You wouldn’t have me any other way.”

“I don’t know, I could probably do without the sass, but the caffeine addiction is new. Care to explain?”

“Not really.” Remy sighed, taking off his sunglasses and finally looking at his brother. The two of them used to look more alike, but now Remy’s eyes were grey and dull, no longer sharing the spark of mischief that twinkled in Dee’s eyes, and Dee’s skin was slowly being replaced by scales, hiding the cheekbones and chiseled features he used to be proud of.

“You’re going to make me tell you anyway, aren’t you?”

“I’m not forcing you to do anything Rems, but I’m guessing it has to do with you not wanting to use your powers.”

“You aren’t forcing me to do anything? Yeah, Yeah, where have I heard that before?” He let out another sigh, he didn’t want to talk about this, but if he was going to tell anyone, he was going to tell his brother. “They put me in a coma Dee, for two months, and the worst part was, I didn’t even have control over my own powers. I don’t know how they did it but they somehow used me as a jump point. I was like some kind of relay station. I had no agency! I was stuck inside my own head, feeling my powers be used and abused, and I had no control. Do you know how helpless I felt?” He stood up, pacing as he clung to his Starbucks cup. 

“The worst part is, I don’t know how much control they have, I don’t know if they are going to be able to get back in if I fall asleep, so I don’t plan on falling asleep. No one is going to have that much power over me.” Though he had stopped talking he hadn’t stopped pacing, he chewed on the straw as Dee watched him carefully.

“Then don’t. I told you, I’m not asking you to do this for them. I’m asking you to let me use your powers.”

Remy stopped, staring at his brother with wide eyes. “Gurl no! We don’t know what that will do to you. The scales have already spread to one of your eyes, what if the other one is next?”

“Then I will adapt, just like I always have.”

“Why are you choosing now to try to play the self-sacrificing hero? You hate the scales, why are you willingly looking to add more.”

“It’s not that big of a deal, a few more scales isn’t going to change how ugly I look, and besides if we can get Logan awake then we can try to get some money from him as well, just like your boy toy did.”

“He’s not mine, not yet,” he didn’t miss his brother’s comment about his looks but he also knew that wasn’t a battle he could currently fight.

“Either way, we get some cash and we run. I can hold your form for the rest of our lives and we will really look like twins.”

“That’s going to be exhausting.”

“Yeah, well at least we will be free.” 

Remy finally sat back down, he didn’t believe his brother for a minute. Dee wanted a normal life, Dee wanted to be able to have happiness at the end of the road, but this wasn’t how he was going to get it. “I’m sorry. This wouldn’t have happened-“

“Don’t finish that sentence. I would much rather the situation we are in right now, then for you and I to have both stayed repressed and under our parents thumb. I don’t think you would have survived an arranged marriage.” Dee slid the glasses back onto Remy’s face before ruffling his brother’s hair. 

“Yes or no, can I borrow your power.”

“Fine, but don’t blame me when this goes horribly wrong.” There was a hint of sadness hidden behind Remy’s playful smile and Dee just gave him a smirk in return.

“Oh don’t worry, I blame you for enough already, what’s one more?” He held out his hand, expecting Remy to give him a hair or something but instead Remy handed over his drink.

“I’ve been chewing on that straw long enough, you shouldn’t have a problem.”

“That is disgusting Remington.”

“So is you using my full name.” He gasped, his hand flying to his chest.

“Bottoms up.” Deceit drank the overly sugary beverage, before allowing his body to shift and change into his brother’s form. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s not tomorrow until I sleep right? Sorry this is coming out a bit later in the day then I normally post. It’s been a rough week. Also please let me know if there are any major mistakes in this chapter as my Beta Reader is in a different time zone and it is much to late for me to be bothering them with a chapter. Hope you enjoyed a little Deceit Remy chapter. We are getting deeper into the heavy stuff next week.


	30. { A Matter of Time }

This was not what Deceit was expecting. Then again he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but this web of crystals was a far cry from the television static Remy had described it as. It was like a sky filled with stars and celestial bodies, but nothing bigger than a grain of sand. It was a blizzard where one could hardly distinguish one snowflake from another.

‘Focus on who you want to go see, picture every detail in your mind.” He remembered Remy’s words and pulled his attention back to his task. He had to focus on Logan, think about all of the specific details about him. For a moment, he felt nothing. Had he done something wrong? Then it pulled at him, like a rubber band that had been stretched too far and suddenly let go. He stumbled into a room. There had to be a more pleasant way to travel between dreamscapes, and maybe with time he could figure it out but he didn’t have time.

After he found his balance, Deceit looked at the room around him. Bookshelves lined the wall, their titles unreadable, and in the center of the room was a table with a map lined on it. Logan was standing over the table; his usual professional attire replaced with a regal cape, and a billowed shirt; his crest had hints of blue, red, and green, woven and intermingled together; and his hair was ruffled and messed underneath a lopsided crown. His posture was dreadful as he looked over the map, his hands planted firmly on the table.

“Ainsley, wonderful, you are probably the only one who can assist me with this.” His voice was broken, in a way, Deceit couldn’t describe. This was a version of Logan he had never gotten the pleasure of seeing. A shame he couldn’t enjoy it. His skin crawled at the sound of his own name. Wasn’t he supposed to look like Remy, and didn’t Logan remember how much he hated that name?

“Oh yes, I would be happy to help after you referred to me in such a vile manner.” Deceit searched for a mirror, managing to find one on the wall. He was surprised when he saw his own face looking back at him, not a scale in sight. At least that answered his first question.

“Apologies, but I have never enjoyed calling you Deceit as there is more to you than lies and deception.” Logan waved it off as if now was not the time for this conversation. Instead, he beckoned Deceit over.

“I am in a quandary, though honestly, the implications of that word are a bit light for my liking.”

When he looked up, Deceit noticed the bags under his eyes and the desperation that fought through every line of his irises.

“I need the expertise of an outside source.”

“Why not seek help from one of the princes, their skill in creative solutions has never been lost on you before my liege.” He had to play into the fantasy, had to find the source of what was keeping Logan asleep. Then he would work on waking Logan up.

On the surface, it was obvious that Logan was worried about Roman and Remus, it showed in every small detail of the room they were in, the kingdom setting, his attire, even his crown has jewels that reminded Deceit of the twins.

Logan froze, his eyes casting back down to the map, a myriad of figurines cast on it's surface. “I believe in my desperation to protect them, I have made a mistake. They no longer believe in my protection and have decided to face the dragons and witches alone.”

There it was, the ever perfectionist Logan couldn’t deal with the fact that he had screwed up. “May I be so bold as to ask, what did you do?” Maybe he was asking for his own curiosity, maybe he wanted to help Logan face it. He couldn’t tell.

The room began to fade and worble as Logan was pulled into the reality of what had happened. “I was attempting to protect them, that was always my intention.” His hands were shaking as he grabbed at the map, trying to maintain his hold on this fictional world. “I… I pushed my emotions aside so that they could grow up in safety. I hid them. I ignored the ache every time I missed them.”

The bookshelves crashed around them, opening up the room to a dark street. Logan, who could not have been more than 10, was scrambling down the sidewalk holding tightly to Roman and Remus’ hands. They were walking towards a building, a place that Deceit could only assume was the orphanage.

“A king is nothing without those whom he serves, and I serve you, my prince, and my duke. I love you.” The younger Logan held his brother’s tightly, holding them as if a stray breeze could make them disappear. As he mouthed the words it was ‘King’ Logan who said them, his regal outfit falling like smoke as he stood watching his brothers, watching himself. “I have always fought to serve their needs, to protect them.”

Young Logan finally looked up, making eye contact with his older counterpart and with Deceit, before his eyes began to glow. The older Logan looked away, not being able to face his past, but Deceit kept his eyes trained on the scene. He could almost feel the change in the twins before they both passed out. They couldn’t have been more than 4 and the young Logan had been ten. He had only been ten! Why had a ten year old been forced to make a decision like that? We’re all parents of rich families this heartless?

Deceit turned to look at the man who had been his mentor during a hard time, a pillar of stone that had never before looked shaken. He was crumbling now. In his black polo with the dark blue tie, tears streaming down his face, he looked on the verge of breaking.

At first, Deceit thought his tears were from sadness, but as Logan crumpled his hand tightly and the world shook apart, Deceit could tell the tears were from anger. The force of his anger ricocheted around the world.

“They were supposed to be safe!” Logan’s voice shattered the pavement they were standing on and Deceit had no intention of finding out what would happen if he fell through.

“Logan, I need you to focus.” Deceit tried to solidify the dream, make something that was less chaotic, but Remy had warned him that it might be harder to control Logan’s dreams because of his mental state. “FOCUS!”

Logan snapped to look at him, his wild eyes scanning over Deceit and something seemed to click. He closed his eyes, taking in a long shaky breath as everything in the world began to shift again, this time without the force of an earthquake. When he finally opened his eyes again, Logan turned to Deceit first. He had shifted his dreamscape into one of the training rooms he and Deceit used to practice in. He must have been aware that this was a dream, at least in some part.

“Apologies, I did not expect anyone else to be in my mind with me.” He had tried to return to his stoic self but there was still sadness, pain, and anger laced in each of his words.

“I won’t say it was a pleasant experience but it was enlightening. What tipped you off?”

“You do not normally call me by my name.”

That was a valid point, names were a social construct and overall Deceit wasn’t fond of them. “Well, we are here now. Care to open up more?” Deceit gestured to the door that he was sure would lead to another part of Logan’s mind.

“Not particularly. I am aware that if I were to…” He waved his hand and a stack of cards appeared, “Ah, here we are,” he said after looking through the stack. “If I were to open that figurative ‘can of worms’, I don’t know what would come out.”

“Well, most likely worms,” Deceit teased, getting a small smirk from Logan.

“Look, I’m not saying that you have to be honest with me about all of the trauma you have, we aren’t that close, but you need to open up to someone.”

“I just need to come up with a solution.” Logan sighed, running his hands through his hair that was still a mess. “I do not need to concern the others.”

“A solution to what?”

“Roman and Remus.”

“You’ll have to be more specific. The twins are troublesome but I wouldn’t call them a problem.

Logan began to pace, trying to come up with the words he needed to say. “They… I… How…” He took a deep breath, turning to look at Deceit. “How do I protect someone who doesn’t want to be protected? How do I protect someone who hates me?” Logan asked. “It doesn’t matter if they do not want me around. I am still their older brother and their safety will always be at the top of my concerns.”

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why care about them if they don’t want it? You should be more focused on protecting yourself. We have all seen it, Logan. You have pushed your body further than it can handle, chosen to work on plans instead of sleeping. I mean, you’ve always been like this, but around them, it’s gotten worse. I don’t particularly care what you choose to do with your life.” He flourished his hand, “but you could probably do with a bit of self-preservation.”

“Self-preservation would probably benefit me, but I don’t think I have concerned myself with my own safety since the day the two of them were born. You have Remy, you understand how it is.”

Deceit nodded because he did. On his own, he would have never turned against Mother Necessity and Zero Sum, but if it meant rescuing Remy he was willing to take that chance.

“I am not normally one to suggest this,” Deceit broke through the slight silence that had formed between the two of them, “But, maybe it’s time you sat down and talked with someone. I’m sure the driver and the soft one would be more than happy to listen.”

“Emile and Patton?” He asked, “Yes, I’m sure they would.” The look on his face said it all. He didn’t want to be a burden.

“Alright, well, you are too deep in self-pity for me to get through to you, so I’m going to do this the hard way. If you don’t wake up, I’m going to destroy your laptop. Good luck coming up with a plan to protect the disaster twins without any resources.”

Deceit smirked and the look of terror in Logan’s eyes. “Tick Tock nerd, Tick Tock. Deceit forced himself to wake up. He would give Logan a few hours, but he did not make threats idly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I was working on this I wasn't sure what the title was going to be but I almost titled it Into the Unknown, but rather than get that stuck in your head from the get-go, I'll just do it now at the end. I hope you all are enjoying this! Please let me know if there is anything that you want to see more, or less, of, and I hope you are all staying safe!


	31. { A Dangerous Gambit }

“Deceit do not lay a finger on that laptop!” Logan growled as he bolted awake. He immediately regretted that decision. His head swam and the world spun; he should not be moving that first after first waking up.

“Whoever could you be talking about?” Though he was still in Remy’s body, Logan could tell immediately it was Deceit, the sly smirk on his face, the glint of mischief in his eyes, there was no denying it. He wasn’t in the mood to be played with.

“I swear, if you have hurt it-” Logan used his powers to bring the laptop quickly to his side, almost laying back down from the exertion.

“You’ll what?” He smirked, hiding a laugh. There was nothing that Logan could do in this state and even if he could, he wouldn’t do anything. “All I did was rescue it from the floor where someone carelessly dropped it.”

Logan flinched. He had been carrying it when he and Roman had had their argument, a relationship he had still not figured out how to fix, but if the laptop was broken as well he would be lost. He didn’t know when his body had started shaking, but Deceit was by his side in a moment, putting a comforting hand on Logan’s shoulder.

“Hey, don’t lose it on me. Deep breaths L, Deep breaths, don’t need you passing out on us again. We just got you back.”

“Logan?” Another voice came from the hallway, and Logan wasn’t sure whose it was. It all sounded a bit fuzzy and muddled. There were so many things he needed to figure out and get done. What if he lost all of his resources? What if he couldn’t protect them? He was only saved by the chime of his computer. It was a bell leading him out of the fog.

“Dee, let me take over.” The voice had moved closer and with it came a new set of hands, thinner and more pale, gently resting on top of Logan’s.

“The computer is fine Logan, focus on me.” He looked up into Virgil’s eyes and felt his heart skip. The computer was fine, Virgil was fine. How long had he been out that Virgil was awake?

“Breathe, slow deep breaths.” Logan followed slowly, copying Virgil’s breathing as his mind tried to reorient itself to the present.

“You are safe, everyone is safe.” He could see the hesitation in Virgil’s words, how they lingered on his tongue for too long. Virgil was trying to be considerate.

“Morality?” Logan finally asked. He needed to verify that the people he was supposed to rescue were fine.

“Awake and moving.”

“Roman?”

“Still a jerk.”

Logan held back a snort before whispering, “You?”

“I’ll be honest, Specs. I’ve had better weeks, but I’m here in one piece, so that says a lot doesn’t it?”

Logan nodded, but the tremble in his hands began to come back.

“I’m sorry,” he choked out. It was obvious he was attempting to pull his emotionless mask back on but it had cracked in so many places that it did nothing to cover the remorse on his face.

“I let you down. I let the twins down. I should have noticed Morality’s absence.”

“Hey, that isn’t just on you. There are a lot of things we could have done differently, but everything is alright now. Roman and Remus are here, Patton is up and walking, I’m in one piece. We will all survive.”

Logan took in a deep stuttering breath. “Right.”

Then he tried to add humor to the situation. “Look at me, shouldn’t you be the one giving this logical lecture.” Probably not his best, but Logan laughed.

It was a short snort, and a small smile that only reached the edges of his face, but it was a start. “You seem proficient in it. Maybe I can take a break.”

Then, his smile faded as his mind began to race again. He knew he wasn’t necessary but he hoped he helped. Though, if his fight with Roman was any indication, it didn’t. Everyone might be physically alright, but things between him and Roman needed to be discussed, not that his family was good at discussing their feelings. There was one way they could probably get everything out in the open, but it would be dangerous and a bit stupid. After everything that had happened, maybe Logan needed to do something a bit stupid.

“Virgil, ah, sorry, is it alright if I call you that?”

“Yeah, you can call me that, Logan,” A warm smirk ran its way across Virgil’s face and Logan was surprised to feel his heart skip a beat again. The first time had obviously been from the guilt he felt getting Virgil wrapped up in this situation, but he wasn’t sure why his heart skipped again. It could possibly be a medical condition.

“Right, um…” He adjusted his glasses, how had they stayed on his face if he had been asleep? Then again, he had been unconscious and not asleep so he probably did not toss and turn like he usually might. “Would you get Patton and Roman for me? And I expect Remus.” He had known about Patton and Remus’ relationship before these recent events, but ever since rescuing Patton, something had changed. It was sweet but also a bit concerning.

“I can. Are you really sure you’re up for it?”

“I think it’s the best course of action at this time. Roman and I have some things that we need to work out, and Morality will be a useful catalyst for that.”

“You’re not going to do anything to Pat, right?”

“Of course not, I am simply going to ask him if he feels up to using some of his skills. If he doesn’t, I will attempt a different method.”

Virgil frowned but nodded, getting up and making his way to a different room. Logan did not feel the lingering presence of another in the room, so he assumed Deceit had headed off as well. It was peaceful in the house but Logan did not want to be left alone with his thoughts. He needed to focus on the physical. His head ached, and he needed a shower, though the latter would be useless if Patton agreed to his plan. He would wait on that, but his stomach also felt empty, which was not surprising, how long had he been unconscious? Logan wasn’t sure he wanted to know, and his watch did not have a date function on it.

“Hey Logan,” Patton’s voice was soft and tentative, as if a single wrong word would rouse a sleeping bear. Logan wasn’t sure what warranted such fear, but he was sure it was misplaced. He turned his body to look at the trip, Remus was still clinging to Patton’s arm and Logan could just barely make out Roman behind the two of them.

“How are you doing kiddo?”

“I am well, though I find myself requiring sustenance, possibly a shower depending on how this conversation goes.”

Being an empath, Patton couldn’t hide his emotions without major consequences. Logan was aware of that, and very thankful. He could easily see the confusion written all over Patton’s face as he stood up and fully faced the trio.

“I wish to employ your services.” Both twins tensed at that, most likely over some protective bond that they had over Patton. Who was Logan kidding, that was exactly the reason. He was disappointed they thought so low of him.

“I believe Roman and I have some unresolved issues that we need to work out, though neither of us is in the right state of mind to be able to properly discuss what we need to say.” Logan took in a deep breath, this was where things got tricky. “I would like to propose an unorthodox method of resolving our current predicament.”

All three looked at him, Remus seeming a bit more interested now but still held Patton protectively.

“I want you to use your abilities to make us angry.”

“What?” Patton gaped, “No, I can’t do that, that’s wrong!” He was quick to dismiss the idea but Logan thought that was a possibility.

“Please hear me out before you make a final decision,” he quickly interjected. “Our relationship is built off of many lies, which I am the perpetrator of, and there is a mistrust between the two of us… the three of us.” He looked at Remus who had a bored look on his face. “Forcing a feeling of calmness would not allow us to have the vulnerability that is necessary to clear the air because the trust is not there, however, anger can blind someone to the walls that they have built up. It can cause them to say things they were trying to keep hidden and it could potentially allow us the honesty we need in this current situation.”

“Or you could end up saying things you don’t mean and making your relationship completely irreparable! I don’t think this is a good idea!”

“Morality, please,” Logan’s voice broke as he begged. He was trying his hardest and he believed this would work and if it didn’t maybe he…

No, he was doing this because Roman was reckless and he tended to respond better to anger.

Patton bit at his lip, he wanted to help, he could feel the desperation rolling off of Logan, and it was overwhelming considering the man’s usual lack of emotions. “Roman…” He asked, turning to his friend.

“I… I’m willing to try it Padre, and if either of us goes too far, you’ll be right there to stop us. However, if you are uncomfortable we won’t. I’m following your lead here.”

“Please Morality.”

“Call me Patton.”

“W-what?” Logan asked.

“Call me Patton, we can give it a try, but if things get too intense I am stopping you both. You have to be open to that emotional change.”

Logan and Roman both nodded.

“So… here?” Patton gestured to the living room and Logan shook his head.

“We should find a more remote location, I don’t believe either of us are going to be able to control our powers very well in such a frenzied state.”

The other three looked at one another, seeming to have a silent conversation.

“If you are concerned about my leading you into a trap, I would like to point out that you have me vastly outnumbered.”

“Oh, like you haven’t escaped before,” Remus mocked.

“Yes, well,” Logan sighed pushing up his glasses, “I’m also not at my peak right now.”

They had another silent conversation before Patton nodded. “Alright Kiddo, let’s try this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So SvSR was dropped last night and I'm minorly freaking out, are y'all minorly freaking out? Honestly, the episode is making me question whether to make this angstier than I planned. I probably will. This will probably end up being longer than I was originally planning it to be and I don't know how to feel about that. I don't want y'all to get bored. Oh, well, time will tell. Hope you are all having a great day!


	32. { The Fall of a Prince }

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, this is going to be a fight scene. It's going to get intense and emotional.

“Logic, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Please Morality, you can call me Logan, there is really no reason for us to use that title as you know my identity now.”

“Well, if I’m gonna call you Logan, then you have to call me Patton.”

“Very well then um… Patton. Yes, I’m sure I want to do this.” He and Roman hadn’t even looked at each other the entire drive. “I believe that this is the best way for both of us to get all of our grievances out into the open.”

“There are better ways kiddo, you could have an open and honest talk.”

Roman huffed at that and Logan knew that no matter how honest he was, Roman would never believe him. Roman had felt guilty when they first started their drive, even Logan could sense it, but guilt had quickly faded to frustration. Now more than ever, Logan was sure this was the right path.

“Well, if you are sure kiddo, we’re almost there.”

Logan nodded, “I’m not your kid.”

“Everyone’s my kiddo.” Patton chimed in, pulling over to the side of the road in front of an empty area. Logan heard Patton take in a shaker breath.

“Last chance to change your mind.”

“That seems improbable, however, Patton, are you uncomfortable doing this?”

“Yeah, a little, but if you really think it will help.”

“I do, but since I am trying to foster trust, I won’t push you.”

“No, it’s okay, I can do this. I want to do the right thing, and I um… I’m not sure if this is the right thing, but I’m gonna trust you with this Logan.”

Logan nodded gently. “Thank you, I appreciate that.” He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Roman, are you ready?”

“Yes,” Roman said, shedding his shirt, knowing that a fight was probably inevitable.

He was toned, his muscles showing all of the hard training he had done to be a hero. Logan would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little intimidated by that. There was going to be a fight, both of them were not used to controlling their anger, but getting into a physical fight with Roman was not the worst choice he had made. He kept his shirt on, having no desire to show any of them what was under his shirt.

“Are… are you two ready?” Patton asked, holding onto Remus as a grounding force.

“As I’ll ever be,” Logan whispered resignedly.

“Was that a Tangled the series reference?” Roman asked, surprised by Logan’s slip.

“What is that?”

“Obviously it wasn’t. Whatever, yes, I’m ready Pat.” Roman's surprise melted back into frustration as both men allowed themselves to be open to Patton’s powers. Giving Patton access meant the effects would take over quicker and, hopefully, they could be done sooner.

“Okie Dokie,” Patton took in a deep breath, squeezing Remus’ hand as he forced a wave of anger to overcome Roman and Logan. Though Patton wasn’t used to negative emotions, they took hold easier and it overwhelmed the two of them.

“This was the stupidest idea you have ever come up with.” Roman hissed, pacing a bit. “Really, what are you hoping to accomplish with this?” He didn’t even realize he had abandoned his thoughts.

“Well, maybe if you didn’t have the attention span of a child, you would remember since I have explained it a multitude of times.”

“Do you have to speak like a computer? Seriously Micronerd! No one can understand you, and you know what, I bet no one wants to!”

“You believe I am not aware of that? My parents don’t care about what I have to say, my brothers don’t care, no one has ever cared, but I talk anyway!” He yelled, his anger causing his powers to spin out of control. He normally had such a tight grip on all of his emotions that the overwhelming anger covering him now broke his control on his powers. “Proper dissemination of information is important, even if no one cares to listen.”

Roman saw the sparks of power, the blue lightning in Logan’s eyes. He wasn’t going to be left unarmed when Logan inevitably attacked. Roman’s creative smoke began to billow around his body, not forming into anything yet but clinging to the air like a fine mist.

“Ugh, there you go again. What does that even mean? Dissemination, I bet it means hiding information because that’s all you do. You keep your secrets and you lie about everything.”

“The only thing I have lied to you about is our relationship status, and even that was a lie of omission.”

“Then what do you call all those years of fighting and pretending to be a villain. Either you are lying about that, or you are lying now.”

“Are you so simple-minded that your view of the world is that black and white? Do you not realize that I could complete these so-called villainous acts while still valuing your safety over everything else? You are my brother. I am willing to break the law for your safety!” Rocks and dirt began to rise in the air, not because Logan was attempting to make an attack, but because he felt the need to protect himself. Under his anger, he felt alone and rejected. Anger always stemmed from something else, from insecurity or a heartfelt belief, and Logan felt absolutely isolated.

“Ha, my safety. You just use that as an excuse. You’re just a villain!” Roman yelled, his mist forming into a shield and sword as he prepared for the rain of rocks on him. “You abandoned us, and I’m certain that now, you are only playing with us to get what you want!”

“I abandoned you to save you! I am here to protect you!”

“I DON’T. BELIEVE. YOU.” Roman screamed every word and though he knew, somewhere deep in his heart, that Logan was telling the truth, he couldn’t get over the pain of abandonment, the pain of never being adopted, never being loved by a family. He had given that up to stay with Remus, but Remus was abandoning him too. He wasn’t fighting by Roman’s side like he should be right now, he was wrapped around Patton.

Roman surged forward, his brain not registering that this was a bad idea. He attacked. He was the hero, Logan was the villain, it was his job to stop him.

Logan wasn't so easily stopped, especially in Roman’s blind fury. He could see each movement, all of Roman’s telegraphed attacks and it was easy to step out of the way just as the swing would have hit him.

“Of course you don’t, because you need a villain in your narrative. You need someone to place all of that hatred and anger onto and for some forsaken reason, you chose to put it on me.” No longer in danger, Logan grabbed Roman’s wrist, the one that had swung at him, and he placed his other arm across Roman’s shield, using it as leverage. Roman already had a bit of momentum, so it was easy enough for Logan to use that to topple him to the ground.

“You still act like a petulant child who screams if they don’t get their way. I am sorry that your world could not have turned out like the movies, but I am fucking trying.”

Roman’s sword had slipped out of his hand, toppled a few feet away and the shield dissipated. Both of them were breathing harder, having an argument, especially a yelling one, in the middle of a physical fight was taxing. It was taxing enough that Logan was having a hard time keeping the rocks around him up. They began to drop, not a single one landing on Roman.

“Why do you always act like you are so much smarter than anyone else?” Roman growled, slowly pushing himself up. He still had fight left in him.

“Why do you think that you know best? You’re what, six years older, oh like that’s such a big deal.” He was on his feet, ready to manifest a second sword.

“I act like I am more intelligent than you because I am! It is all that I have Roman, I am not strong but I am sure as hell smart.”

Roman lunged at him and Logan was going to sweep his feet but it was at that moment his leg decided to twinge in pain. Patton had done a miraculous job of helping him heal but the damage he had inflicted on himself was not so easily erased. Logan went down, it felt like slow motion as his body gave out on him, Roman swinging and missing but now standing over him. Logan was completely at Roman’s mercy. Just to the left was Roman’s first sword, discarded and forgotten. Logan might be able to grab it, might be able to strike first, but even in his anger, he wouldn’t. He never would.

Logan closed his eyes and though he was still angry at the situation, angry at himself, he wasn’t angry at Roman. He knew he had hurt his brother, and he would never be able to fix that. There was a resignation in his soul. He had already given his life up for his brothers once, what was a second time?

As his anger began to fade, Logan could only feel a strange peace. He was going to die, Roman was going to fulfill his hero fantasy and kill the villain. That was okay if this would make Roman happy.

But the strike never came.

When he opened his eyes, Roman was still standing over him, a look of horror on his face as he brought his hands to his mouth slowly. “I… I was going to…” His sword faded before it hit the ground and the thunk that Logan heard instead was Roman falling to his knees. “I was actually going to…”

Logan wanted to reach out, to hold his brother and assure him that everything would be alright, but he wasn’t the one that needed to do that. He had abandoned Roman and it had left a scar so deep that Logan did not expect it to heal. Instead, he looked up at Remus who seemed to get the message loud and clear, quickly letting go of his boyfriend to comfort his brother instead.

“Hey Ro, it’s okay, you didn’t do anything that can’t be fixed. You’re still a noble prince, it’s okay.”

Logan began to shuffle backward, still on the ground, trying to give the two of them some space. He was right in believing that this experiment would get everything out in the open, he just hadn’t planned for the consequences to be so dramatic.

“Lo-Lo, are you okay?” Patton asked, gently placing a hand on Logan’s shoulders.

“Y...yes… I…” was he okay? His mind was coming to terms with information that Roman had said, but also a lot of things he had realized in the fight. “No, I don’t think I am… but I think I will be.”

He looked at his brothers. He had been asking himself this question far too often nowadays, but did he do the right thing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a bit writing this one but I really like how it turned out. This is going to be an interesting tipping point in the relationship between the three of them and I can't wait to see where it goes. Especially since I had to rework a few things after the new episode! Oh goodness, I'm still processing it!


	33. { A Quiet Conversation }

The ride back to the house was silent, everyone recovering in their own way. Remus had moved to the back seat to make sure he was close to Roman and Logan had expected him to prattle on to offer a distraction. Not a sound or a whisper was shared between them. Their hands were clasped together and somehow Logan felt they were having a conversation that didn’t need words.

He didn’t regret what he had done, but he begrudged the consequences. He had missed out on watching Roman and Remus grow up. He had missed out on helping them through their struggles.

Logan picked at the jeans he had worn. He knew that things couldn’t have gone perfect. Perfect was an unattainable goal, but maybe a part of him had hoped that once all of this was over, once Roman and Remus were safe, he could form a relationship with them. Though that goal was achievable, it would never be the same as what the twins had. By protecting them he had forfeit that relationship.

Was it worth it?

“Hey,” Patton whispered, gently setting a hand on Logan’s shoulder. “It’s okay kiddo. Things can change and get better.”

Logan’s mouth curled into a tight frown. How had Patton noticed? Their car pulled into the driveway and Patton turned to look at Logan, his eyes sparkling with understanding and compassion.

“You are allowing yourself to be more open with your emotions, that’s a good thing. There are people here to support you.”

Right, of course, Patton was an empath. Logan quickly tried to compose himself, hiding his emotions behind all of the walls he had built throughout the years. He didn’t miss Patton’s frown.

“I appreciate your concern Patton, but it is not necessary.”

“If you're sure.” Patton began to get out of the car. “But we are here for you.” It was meant to be a reassurance, but Logan knew those words weren’t true. The only reason they were here was because they were healing and no one was sure what they were supposed to be doing next, but now he knew. Roman was headstrong, he would continue to try to be a hero, but he needed the freedom from his family.

“I’m certain,” Logan said, getting out of the car.

“Roman, may I speak to you?” He went to adjust his tie before realizing it wasn’t there.

“Of course my stupendously studious sidekick.” His voice wavered. Its normal chipper tone was laced with a tiredness that Logan understood all too well. Well enough that he wasn't going to point out the fallacies in Roman’s nickname.

“Need me to stay with you?” Remus asked, still holding his brother’s arm like an anchor to this world. “I’m not opposed to filling his pants with poisonous spiders!”

Roman shook his head and Logan could see the emotions written all over his brother’s face. He normally wasn’t great at reading emotions but he knew these ones. The guilt was written in the way Roman’s brow knit together; his frustration written in the curl of his lips, the bottom one just barely tucked under his teeth; and the worst of it all, the fear that twinkled in Roman’s eyes. It wasn’t a fear of anything inside of himself, but rather, the realization that he was capable of doing a lot worse than he thought he could. Roman was afraid of himself and Logan knew that.

He waited for Remus to leave, trying to decide on the best way to handle this. He had been gone for so long, but maybe after their fight, they could be on better footing. He hesitantly walked over to Roman and pulled him into a hug. He would give Roman the space to pull away, but this was something that Logan desperately needed. Specifically, it was something he had needed for seventeen years. He hoped it was what Roman needed too.

It must have helped a bit because Roman didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around Logan.

“I’m supposed to be a hero, I’m supposed to do the right thing,” he cried.

Logan didn’t know how to help and he didn’t know how to fix this, but Roman was his little brother, and he had to try. “You are still my hero,” he whispered softly.

Roman balked, pulling away. “How can that be true? I literally tried to stab you just a few hours ago,”

“Yes, but your sense of anger was heightened, that wasn’t fully you.”

“No, but it was me when I knocked you unconscious.”

Logan didn’t have a counter for that, but he did have an answer. “I don’t blame you for that. I hid many things from you and I’m sure it was not easy to process through all of the emotions you felt. I could have handled the situation with a bit more tact.”

“That’s an understatement.” Roman huffed, and Logan finally felt like they were getting somewhere. He leaned against the van, fiddling with his hands.

“I’m sorry you felt abandoned, that was never my intention.” Logan sighed. “I wanted to protect you.”

“I kind of get that now, Dunsinane.”

A look of confusion crossed his face. “Why are you comparing me to the hill which held MacBeth’s castle?”

Roman sighed, “It was a clever play on words to call you a dunce. For being the smart one I am surprised you couldn’t figure that out.”

Logan frowned and Roman immediately back-peddled.

“What I was trying to say is-“

“Roman, it’s fine, it doesn’t bother me.” He let out a sigh of his own. “What does bother me is that, despite my vast vocabulary, I can’t seem to express to you how sorry I am that you feel the way you do, while still holding my position that I did the right thing.”

“Was this really the best option?” Roman threw up his hands. “Couldn’t you have protected us without leaving us and erasing our memories?”

“Of course I thought about multiple ways that I could try, but they were already influencing Remus, playing into his darker thoughts and fantasies, and I was 10. Now a young age is no excuse for my inability to come up with a better plan, but I will say I didn’t have the emotional maturity to separate myself from the situation. I also didn’t have the resource for anything more grand in terms of an escape plan.”

“You could have come with!”

“They would have found us, and I have no desire to find out what they would have done with me at that point. I was always the expendable one.”

Roman frowned, not fully accepting it but it seemed he was beginning to understand. “I met her when we rescued Patton. She seemed kind.”

“She’s manipulative.” Logan knew she was and had fought long and hard to not fall for her tricks.

“But she just let me go. I mean, she did give me a way to contact her.”

Logan’s face went white. “Roman, what did she give you?”

“She gave me a phone.”

“Please tell me you got rid of it.” He said, pushing himself off of the van, hands-on Roman’s shoulder.

“Why would I get rid of a perfectly good phone?” He asked, rolling his eyes.

“Do you have it on you now?”

Roman shook his head and Logan let out a thankful sigh.

“I mean this in the most caring way possible but you are an absolute idiot. She can use a phone to listen in to our conversations as well as find our location.”

“Wait! So it’s possible that this dragon of a lady could be listening to our conversations, or hunting us down?”

Logan nodded, slowly letting go of Roman as he began to pace.

“Undoubtedly, she has a plan for it.” Could he turn this around? He chewed on his lip gently “I think… I think I might have an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! In case you didn't know, this month is mental health awareness month! Make sure you are taking care of yourself!


	34. { A Queen in Check }

The door to the house slammed open and Roman stormed out. “No, absolutely not! If you think that I’m going to follow through with any more of your hair-brained schemes, I refuse! I was willing to put some faith in you but I can see now that you truly are a monster.”

Everyone in the living room looked up at Roman’s shouting, any conversation they were having falling silent. They all looked a bit surprised at Roman’s outburst, except for Patton who looked confused.

“Roman, you are acting childish again.” Logan’s voice was stoic and monotone.

“Childish? CHILDISH? You want to strip away our powers because you think it will protect us from the bogeyman, did you ever stop to think that it would only make us more vulnerable?! Ugh, she really was right about you.” He stormed off towards the bedrooms leaving the group looking at Logan questioningly. He didn’t flinch. Logan didn’t give them the satisfaction of an explanation. He kept quiet and watched the area where Roman had gone off. It was an awkward and tense silence. Someone had to break it.

Remus volunteered to be that someone. He moved Patton off of his lap and stood up to go after his brother.

“Don’t stop me, Remus, you can join me or go back to cuddling your boyfriend, but I’m leaving. It’s already obvious you like him more so I’m making you choose, you malicious malcontent. I won’t be the mashed potato side dish to your turkey dinner relationship.”

There was a moment of silence, a conversation that couldn’t be heard, and then shouting once again.

“Of course you would choose him!” Roman came back out to the living room, holding his bag in one hand and a cell phone in the other. “Fine, if that’s how you want to play it, I’ll become a hero my own way. I’m not going to associate with former and wannabe villains.”

Remus had a look in his eye, something different and dangerous. “Psh, like you ever could become a hero without me. You’ve never even beaten me in a fight.”

Roman rolled his eyes, “Only because you cheat, so I have nothing to prove to you.” He shoved his way past Logan and slammed the door behind him.

“Wh-” Logan had his hand held up and he was holding up 5 fingers, signaling for everyone to stay quiet. There was a silent consensus to follow his instructions, watching as he slowly counted down on his fingers. He must have used his own timing because it wasn’t something the others could follow, but when he was done he lowered his hand.

Remus broke into a dangerous smile that devolved into chaotic laughter.

“Sephi,” Patton called, “What’s going on? Roman wasn’t angry, I didn’t feel any anger coming off of him.”

Deceit was smirking, having also noticed it but waiting for someone to fill them in.

“He wasn’t. He was acting. Isn’t my brother so cool?” He looked to Patton who still looked confused and Remus grabbed Patton’s hand. “That’s our code, mashed potatoes, he uses it to tell me something is up, neither of us likes mashed potatoes. I checked by asking him about the fights. I’ve never actually won.” Remus was giggling uncontrollably.

“So… what’s happening?” Patton asked rather confusedly.

“A ruse, and we must prepare for war.” Logan was already making his way towards his room. “Remus, can you send some kind of insect to trail your brother. I also need you and Patton to suit up. Deceit your help would be appreciated but this is our fight, you have nothing to gain from it.”

“I’ll make that call.”

“Picani, Sleep, I think it’s best that you stay here. If we are not back within an hour, leave. Take everything with you and leave.”

“Psh, don’t have to tell me twice gurl, I’ll stay here and protect the shrink.”

Emile blushed a little bit. “I don’t have a degree yet, that’s just what I want to go into.”

“Still gonna call you a shrink.”

“Something that might be helpful Logic,” Deceit said, nonchalantly picking at his nails. “I can still shift into him.”

Logan’s eyes lit up, a smile of hope crossing his face. “Then we might have a chance.”

**{ ~*~ }**

Roman had gotten a few blocks away before he held the phone up to his ear, dialing the only contact. When the other person picked up he took in a breath.

“I think I’m ready to come home mom.”

“I’m so pleased to hear that darling.” She cooed, “Where are you? I can come pick you up.”

He told her what city he was in and the cross streets he was by.

“Really? I’m already in that city picking up some supplies. I’ll be there soon.”

“See you soon.” He hung up, gripping the phone tightly. He could only hope Logan was right. He felt a bug land on his hand, and he was ready to swat it when he saw the mosquito had two heads and a green body. This was a Remus creation for sure. He took in a deep breath. He and Remus could conquer anything together.

**{ ~*~ }**

“How do you know this plan will work?” Virgil asked Logan concerned, “And you seriously shouldn’t be trying to get in another fight right now. Look at you, all bruised to hell and I’m sure your leg isn’t fully healed.”

“I don’t believe this is something that could have been prolonged, and I’m not certain this will work. She is a smart woman, but she is also prideful.” Logan started, trying to get his suit on without aggravating his injuries. “I am hoping her pride in the success of getting Roman will blind her, not to mention, I decided to give Roman a bit more free reign on this one. It was his idea to fake the fight, which if she was listening to our conversations, like I suspect, then that will be rather convincing. Also, if I understood Deceit’s crypticness, he can still transform into Zero Sum, which means that he can negate her abilities. She is still a strong fighter, but it will put us at an advantage.”

“So you actually trusted the boy wonder and Mr. Lyde?”

“Jekyll and Hyde reference?”

Virgil nodded.

“Nice,” Logan straightened his tie. “I am beginning to understand that in order to build trust and respect I must first be willing to offer it. This is my attempt at building that between both of them. Though Deceit and I do have some history which makes him easier to trust.”

“For a villain, you are a pretty nice person,”

“And for a hero you are rather willing to go along with my schemes.”

“Maybe I just want to pick your brain.”

Logan looked at him extremely confused, possibly a bit afraid.

“Don’t give me any ideas tickle me emo.” Remus had a crazed look as he burst through the door, “You ready calculatron? I’ve always wanted to indulge in a little matricide.”

“I don’t think we should be killing anyone,” Patton said softly.

“It’s not like we have many options.” Logan had a resigned look on his face. He tested his powers before nodding to Remus’ question.

“This is going to end up getting a little messy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the fake-out, but I kept it short because I figured people would be happier about it that way. Hope you are taking care of yourself!


	35. { A Desperate Ploy }

“Ro-Ro.” Mother necessity pulled her car up to the curb where Roman was walking. “Are you really ready to go home? Can I take you back with me?”

“I… Maybe, but I need a bit more time to think over everything,” Roman said, wrapping his arm around his body as if he were unsure of himself. “What I really need is answers. I feel like I have been kept in the dark for far too long, and I just want to know who I am.”

“I’m not sure how satisfying my answers are going to be, but I’m willing to help my little Caesar. Where do you want to have this conversation?”

Logan had talked to him about this. He needed to get her somewhere that there would be fewer civilians. She wasn’t above using innocents to further her plans.

“Maybe somewhere where we won’t be overheard. I have _a lot_ of questions.” He waved his arms dramatically to make a point. “But I am not familiar with this terrain.”

“We could return home. You would always be welcome to leave as soon as you wanted.” Logan had suggested a specific place, but this would be okay, right? Roman bit his lip, their house was an area far from innocents, wasn’t it? And Remus was probably listening in with the mosquito.

“And you can ask me questions while we drive.” She suggested, trying to get a yes from him, and maybe if Roman didn’t have so many legitimate questions, he might have realized what she was doing.

“Very well, to your dwelling it is.” He opened the car door and got it, still clutching the cellphone she had given him.

She smiled sweetly, “Perfect,” and she began to drive off back towards Zerena, the city where it all began.

“Let me take that phone from you.” She reached out her hand and as he put it in her hand hesitantly it began to turn into the black smoke he had seen once before.

“So what questions did you want to ask me?”

That brought up a lot more questions, but he decided he still needed to play her side. Make her think he really did want to join her. He had asked her a few questions before, this was an opportunity to find out more. “You said that Logan was probably jealous. Why? We were just kids.”

“Well of course you were only kids, but you were already so talented. You and Remus both could conjure solid objects before you were 3 and that is fantastic. But what can Logan do? Move small objects?” She asked dismissively. “It’s really our fault as parents. We shouldn’t have played favorites, but I just couldn’t help it. You and Remus had my powers, or something similar, how could I not be excited?”

It was more than moving small objects though? Logan had managed to affect memories? How could it only be moving small objects? He wanted to ask but something in the back of his mind reminded him of the conversation he and Logan had.

‘If you get stuck alone with her, keep your guard up. She will say whatever she needs to get what she wants. Keep her talking about herself.’

“I’m not sure. I bet if I had children and they shared my powers I would be excited to see them have something similar. Rather, I’m sure I’d be ecstatic.”

“Right?” Her smile grew wider. “And I just wanted to instill in you and Remus all of the proper techniques that will make you stronger. Things I had the chance to learn with age.”

“Is that what your parents did?”

Her eyes went a bit downcast. “My parents didn’t have powers, and they weren’t in my life after I turned 18. That’s why it was so hard to lose you and your brother. I had already lost people at much too young an age.”

Roman put a hand to his chest. He was a sucker for a sob story and the sadness on her face was so genuine. It was hard to believe that she could be as evil as Logan kept making her out to be. “What about Remus, and Logan?”

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, focusing on the road intently as she thought carefully about her words. “Of course I want Remus to come home, but that’s his choice. I was hoping if you did eventually call me it would be both of you coming back. But that doesn’t mean I’m any less happy that you are giving me a chance.” She stretched out her hand to take his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“As for Logan,” She frowned. “I’ll admit that I was a bit harsh with him after we thought you had died. I loved you so much, I couldn’t get over the fact that he took you from me. I bred him into being the traitor he became, and I don’t believe that anything I do now will fix that.”

Roman bit his lip, it was true that Logan harbored a lot of anger towards their mother, and it made sense that he wouldn’t be able to forgive her for cruel treatment as a child. Roman found himself second-guessing everything that he and Logan had discussed after their fight. He didn’t have long to think about it as he felt a light piercing on his neck and instinctively smacked at it. Green smoke was curled around his fingers as he brought his hand back down. Roman fought back a swear. Remus was right, he couldn’t give in just yet, but hopefully, they would still be able to follow him.

“If it could, would you want to fix that relationship?”

“Of course, he’s my son!”

“And… what about Remus, if I could convince him, would you accept him even though he’s dating Patton.”

“Which one is Patton?”

Roman fought back the anger in his heart. She had hurt Patton and didn’t even remember him. “The one we rescued.”

“Oh…” She fell a bit silent. “I don’t think I could accept him dating that boy, and not because he is our enemy, enemies to lovers is such a cute trope, but he is a nullifier. There are so many things I never got to share with you. I am the first in our family line to have powers. The universe decided to gift them to me. You can imagine how confusing that was though, having these strange powers when no one else did. So I did research, probably more than any sane person would do, and I fought to figure out where these powers came from. There are stories from many ancient civilizations where people were given abilities, but they grew overconfident in themselves and thus a balancing force was sent. These were the nullifiers, their purpose is to heal the damage done by these power users and strip them of their abilities. I don’t think that is fair, why should one person be the judge of my powers?” She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “But I was able to convince your father to relinquish his goal, maybe if Remus can convince Patton as well, then I would be happy to have him as a son in law. I just don’t want to see him get hurt.”

Roman’s head was spinning. Did Patton know about this? His own father was a ‘nullifier’ what did that even mean? Was that something that could be passed down?

“I’m sorry, that was a bit too much wasn’t it? Here, let’s put some music on and just relax the rest of the drive.” She put in a mix of Disney villain songs and Roman couldn’t lie, it was helping a bit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, me putting off a fight scene because I'm terrified of writing it bad and thus making a chapter that has important lore... no... never... this was totally planned all along. Right?


	36. { Before the War }

“How can I be related to someone who does not have two brain cells to rub together to form a thought?” Logan was sitting in the back seat of the van, leg bouncing as Patton drove. As soon as they had heard that Roman was going with Mother Necessity their plans had needed to change drastically and Logan hated when plans changed.

“At least he’s pretty,” Deceit muttered under his breath, a smirk of a smile written on his face. He believed that Roman could handle himself, though he would never admit that he was a little bit worried about the eccentric man.

“I’m sure everything will be okay.” It was Patton’s turn to chime in some reassurance.

“How can you know that? What data do you have that I don’t that could prove his safety?” He had just gotten Roman away from all of that, and though it hadn’t been the best situation, they had been planning on getting them to safety, permanently. Now all of that was up in the air again.

“Logie, you need to trust other people.” Patton’s voice was soft and reassuring. “Roman is a capable person, after all, he’s our hero. We have to believe in him.”

Logan fell slight at that but his leg still bounced as he drummed his fingers on his legs. He had been trying too hard to protect Roman, but every time he fought harder it seemed to slip out of his fingers. Could he really let go and release control?

{ ~*~ }

“Welcome home my little Emperor.”

“Wow, this place is huge.” He looked around the mansion, somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered this place, and it was just as large as he remembered. If Logan hadn’t pushed them away, he would have grown up here, with all of this at his fingertips. What Logan had said made some amount of sense but the jealousy was consuming. How much better would he be at controlling his powers if he had had parents to help him? How much better would his life be if he had parents who loved him?

“I have to bring your dad down here, he’s going to be so happy to see you again.”

“Right.” It was a bit overwhelming, but he was a prince and could handle it with grace and class.

“Darling, come down, I have a visitor.” It didn’t take long for a large man to come hulking down the stairs. Roman could see where he got his own muscles from. Logan took after their mom, but he and Remus must have taken after their dad. He was an intimidating figure and even though they stood at equal heights there was something about him that just made Roman feel a bit nervous. He played it up though, hopefully, his real family wasn’t too far behind them.

“Hello, dad.”

The man threw his arms around Roman, pulling him into a crushing hug. “Welcome home son.” His voice almost sounded sad and Roman could feel his resolve breaking. He hugged this man back, rubbing his back gently. It was just like being crushed by Remus.

“I’m home.” But was he? He was so confused.

Roman was finally let go, “Now, how about we give you a quick tour and then you can rest. It was probably a long day making it all the way here.”

A tour would be a great idea, after all, it would give him a better layout of the place. He had plenty of time to think about how angry Logan was going to be at him, but that was more of a chance to prove himself. “I’d love that.”

{ ~*~ }

Logan and the others sat parked not too far from the mansion but not close enough that they would be easily noticed. Logan hadn’t come up with a plan yet. He didn’t know how to fix this. He had never thought he would have to come back here.

“Breath L, slow deep breaths,” Virgil said quietly, putting a hand on Logan’s shoulder.

He nodded, taking in a deep breath, losing it halfway through.

“What if I lose him?” Everyone else had stepped out of the car, leaving them alone.

“You aren't going to lose him. I hate to admit it but Princey is just as good at getting himself out of bad situations as he is getting himself into them.”

Logan choked out a laugh, bringing his hand to his face. “He really can be.”

“And didn’t you lose your fight to him?”

“Merely because I am not at my best.”

“Not like I haven’t been telling you to rest this whole time.” Virgil rolled his eyes and Logan gave him a sheepish smile.

“Your concern and care has meant everything to me.”

Both of them blushed a bit, falling into an awkward silence as Logan pulled at his slacks.

“Are you feeling a little more clear now?” Virgil finally asked.

“I am. Again, I appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Virgil said, going to open the door. “Now, let’s go outside with the others and see if they have a plan.”

{ ~*~ }

After the tour Roman had been led to a guest room, being told that his old bed, while still there, would be much too small for him now. Surprisingly, they hadn’t shown him his old room and it did make him curious and after a few hours, Roman began to wander around on his own. His head was in turmoil. Who should he believe? The person who had given him away, supposedly out of love, or the person who had been nothing but kind to him since he had met her?

Logan had made a lot of sense with how he explained things, but since when did life make sense? Roman walked down the hall quietly, trying to make sure his footfalls wouldn’t wake anyone up. He even created rugs where he needed to so that he wasn’t walking on hard floors. Most of the rooms were boring and empty, and Roman couldn’t find the room that was supposed to be his and Remus’ bedroom, but he did find what might have been Logan’s. It was absolutely torn apart.

“Well someone doesn’t know how to clean,” Roman said softly to himself with a smirk, looking around to see if there was anything interesting. Logan wasn’t the type to hide his secrets out in the open though. Where would a nerd hide his secrets? As he was looking Roman heard footsteps in the halls and fell quiet, listening to the conversation.

“That’s all well and good, but how will we get Remus back?” The first voice was low and deep, Roman assumed it was his father’s despite the quiet nature of it.

“I’m still figuring that out. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised that that little nullifier was able to tear them apart. According to what we could salvage from the virus’s computer, Roman and Remus are as thick as thieves, couldn’t separate them if you wanted to. If he gets in the way of us stealing the twins' powers, I’m going to have a lot of fun exacting my revenge on him.”

“Just be careful sugar pop, we nullifiers have a lot of different powers, at least, I did before I fell in love with you. If he knows how to use them all, it could be a problem.”

“I know I know, damn, I wish we could have finished our experiment before they took him. I really wanted to know if we could assimilate his powers like we did with the others.”

“Damn, I love it when you use big words.”

Roman could hear kissing and he was torn between gagging and being afraid. He normally loved love, but there was something wrong about all of this. At least now he knew where his allegiance was. No one messed with his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, it's been a rough year so far hasn't it? I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who read my story, and give it kudos, and comment. It means the world to me and sometimes those comments or little notifications are the things that help me get out of bed. I appreciate you all more than I'll be able to say over a message like this. So, yea... thanks. <3


	37. { The Board is Set }

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. I normally am super on top of updating every week but I'm sure some of you have noticed that it's been over a month since I updated. I recently lost someone in my family. It's been hard and I couldn't get a coherent word down to save my life, but I'm feeling better. I think I should be able to get back into my normal schedule so as long as everything goes well you'll have an update tomorrow morning as well. 
> 
> Do a favor for me. If you have a family member you love but haven't talked to in a long time, go call them. Please, or send them a text, just, let them know you care.
> 
> Anyway, enough of the sappy. Let's get into the story.

“Logan, you’ve been awfully quiet, did you have something you wanted to say?” Patton’s voice pulled Logan from his thoughts.

“I have nothing to add as of yet.” That wasn’t the full truth. He could feel Deceit’s eyes on him, pressing him to say more, but Logan wouldn’t cave. He had been thinking long and hard about all of this and he knew that he was going to have to do. It was something Patton certainly wouldn’t approve of, and honestly, Logan would never take this drastic of an action if it wasn’t for the fact that he needed to know Roman and Remus could never be manipulated by this family again. It was going to alienate him from these people, from the group he dared to call friends. Logan didn’t feel like he had another choice.

“Are you sure? You are rather smart, Logie. I’m sure whatever you have to say would help us.” Patton was being insufferable. His kindness stung like an open wound when Logan knew he was just going to betray that kindness. Why couldn’t Patton drop it?

“I have nothing more to add that we haven’t already discussed. There will be plenty of traps that we have to watch out for. We will need to take out Zero Sum first as he presents the biggest challenge to our plan. If any of us lose our powers that could end up being extremely hazardous and detrimental. Also, he will be the easier one to take down. Our first step is of course to find Roman. We will work better as a group.” He adjusted his tie and squared his shoulders as he looked over the others. “Was there more I needed to add?”

“Well no… but I can feel a bit of guilt coming off of you.”

Crap, how had he lost control of his emotions.

“Oh, no, no, don’t feel the need to reign it in. It’s healthy to experience emotions. I just thought you might want to talk about it. We are here to support you!”

“It is nothing of importance, I shall get over it.”

He locked eyes with Deceit and Logan had to fight the shiver that ran down his spine.

“I have no intention of betraying any of you.” Logan attempted to reassure them all. His guilt was over betraying his parents. They were the ones who had raised him. It was a complicated area.

Deceit rolled his eyes and his gaze seemed to soften a bit as he looked away from Logan.

“It’s okay, we don’t think you would betray us. Do you think you could tell us how we are going to find Roman again?” Patton raised his hands in reassurance, even as Remus’ arms were wrapped around his waist.

Finally, a subject Logan could focus on. “He is either in one of the rooms resting, or his curiosity has gotten the better of him and he is in danger.”

“Yea, that sounds like Princy.” Virgil shook his head. “Still doesn’t tell us how to find him.”

“If you are feeling up to it I believe your new powers may be able to help us find Roman,” Logan’s voice lost it’s sharp edge as he looked at Virgil.

“I don’t know, we barely practiced, and if it’s all tied to my anxiety, I could go out of control in battle.”

“I have faith in you Virgil, and there is a reason I suggested Patton stay by your side earlier. He will be able to help if your anxiety spirals out of control.”

A light blush crossed Virgil’s face. One he wouldn’t admit to being there. Logan knew of Virgil’s anxiety, he should have explained more clearly why he wanted Virgil and Patton to partner up this time. Roman and Remus needed to remain separate, so Logan was going to go with Remus this time. Once Roman was found Deceit would stick by his side.

“Are we ready now?” Deceit asked, pulling at the gloves on his hands. “I would like to get this over as soon as possible considering that we adjusted the time frame for Remy and Emile, but my brother will still leave us if he thinks there is danger.”

“Noted, then shall we stop standing around and actually execute this plan.” Maybe that was a poor choice of words, but everyone nodded and Virgil let out a sigh, holding his hand out for Patton.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Virgil’s surly voice was deepened by the shadows as they were all enveloped and sucked into the darkness. Logan was thankful for the dark peace that returned to him as he felt the empty fullness of Virgil’s shadows. It didn’t last nearly long enough before they were flung back into a world that was too quiet and too loud all at the same time.

“Guys!” Roman whisper screamed as he ran over to Remus and hugged him. “I thought you weren’t coming and I would have to figure this out on my own. Not that I couldn't. I am an absolutely amazing prince, but…” He let his voice trail off as he looked over everyone, a sheepish look on his face. “You were right Nerd.”

Logan fought back the urge to say ‘I told you so’ and instead just nodded, “If we ever want a feeling of safety again, we are going to have to take these people down.”

Roman nodded, pushing back his shoulders. “Let’s go.”

All of them slowly entered the hallway with the exception of Virgil and Patton who had slipped into the shadows again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with me through this! I hope you enjoyed today's chapter. Tomorrow, I'm going to talk about an announcement I have regarding September. See you then.


	38. { A King in Check }

Logan crept quietly around the corner, checking each hallway before entering as his mind fell into a rhythm he knew all too well.

_‘The guard positions will have changed since the last time I was here, but Mother follows a specific pattern and there are parts of her routine she will not want to change. The east corridor should be empty this time of night as she most likely just finished her nightly walk with Father. He should be in his study, two more corridors to go if they aren't already aware of our intrusion.’_

He looked around the corner, good, no one there. Now they just needed to make sure not to set off any traps. That was why he had his powers pushed to their maximum abilities. He could feel all of the objects around him, the buzz of the electronics, the shifting of the floor as they moved, and every movement of Remus’ muscles as Remus walked behind him. At any moment he could reach out and grab one of those objects to use.

“Y’know you are an awful liar Butt Brother.”

“To what are you referring?” Logan kept his voice low but Remus didn’t seem to have that same sense of self-preservation. It didn’t surprise him in the least.

“Whatever you are feeling guilty about is a super monstrous big deal. The nosy snaky can tell, but thankfully the rest of our group is a bit stupid… well, Patty Cake isn’t stupid, he’s just super trusting, which is why he has me.” Remus jumped forward a bit, hoping to scare Logan but Logan could feel everything right now, Remus’ little jump didn’t scare him.

“I wanna know what your deal is.”

“I said it was nothing important.” Why did they all insist on uncovering his secrets now? It was infuriating. He had kept his secrets to himself since he was ten. Then again, he had told Virgil that he would be open and honest, but that was before he had decided to kill his parents. Despite how he acted, Virgil didn’t like violence, and Patton would be so broken-hearted if he knew. Roman would label him a villain once again, even if it was for a good cause. Logan was ready to be hated, but he wasn’t ready to be stopped.

“And I said you are lying, so why not tell me? Are you having fantasies about little old emo dying? ‘Cause that’s nauseating but normal.”

“No Remus, please drop it.”

“Nope, playing the annoying younger brother role. So, not the emo dying, but someone dying… oh, are you worried about me and Ro bro? That’s so cute.”

“You are a figurative gremlin and I fear nothing will kill you but the act of a deity.”

“Well then who are you worried about dying? ‘Cuz that part is written all over your face. Wait, wait, wait!” Remus slowed down to a stop, looking at Logan with a sick sense of curiosity.

“You’re gonna kill the rents.”

“The what?”

“Rents, Pa **rents**. You are actually gonna do it aren’t you?” He let out a little giddy giggle. “I love my Pattykins but he would never think of something like that. Oh, this is going to be fun.”

“That’s if he can manage it. Not like he hasn’t tried before.” A deep voice echoed through the hallway and both men turned to look at the new player.

There he was, in all of his muscled glory, Zero Sum.

“Remus, step away from that virus. He is exceedingly dangerous.”

Logan felt the familiar drain of his power and it made him feel even more empty than normal after he had pushed his powers to that extent. There was also a specific hollowness that came with his father’s words. They were still playing that gambit, still trying to get Roman and Remus to their side. What if Remus did turn?

“Eh, no, I don’t like authority,” Remus said, stepping into Zero Sum’s line of sight and Logan immediately felt his powers return. The snap almost knocked him backwards as his body attempted to adjust. He would have to be careful, this snap to and from powers was exhausting, and if he wasn’t precise with his movements he might exhaust himself before they could finish this.

“Remus, please, I know that you don’t know me well, but he is dangerous. He will only betray you.” It was strange to hear his father pleading like this. His father never pleaded for what he wanted, he just took it.

“Psh, like he could. I have this boy whipped. Watch this, Logie bear, bark.”

For a brief moment, Logan was insulted. Then again, this was just Remus’ chaotic nature and he debated if he should play along. Following Remus’ instructions would piss off his father and leave him less ammo in his argument, and that was reason enough.

“Bark, Bark,” Logan said deadpan, rolling his shoulders as he walked closer to Remus.

The chaotic man began to laugh, almost dropping to the floor.

“We are still working on him taking things too literally, but look, isn't he a good puppy.” Remus reached out and tousled Logan’s hair.

“Not as good as these puppies though.” Remus held out his hand, waiting for his powers to swell around him but nothing happened. “Oh poop.” It seemed he was expecting the possibility of his powers being drained. So, he charged.

Logan knew Remus was reckless and often went in without a plan, so he needed to help. He quickly pulled the carpet a bit to make Zero-Sum lose his balance, but they weren’t fighting an amateur. Zero let himself fall, placing his foot onto Remus’ abdomen as he charged in, using the momentum to flip Remus off and towards the other end of the hallway. Logan could hear Remus scrambling to get up.

Getting involved in this fight wouldn’t help anyone. Logan wasn’t a fighter. He could in a pinch, but in a physical fight against a normal person, he was at a disadvantage. In a physical fight against his father, he was a goner. Logan reached out his hand, Zero Sum couldn’t make eye contact just yet. This meant he couldn’t stop Logan from using his powers. Hopefully, they would work just long enough to fling a nearby flower pot at him.

_‘I just need to restrict his vision. If he can’t use his powers then I can proceed to use my powers unhindered. It will be less draining on my body.’_

Zero-Sum grunted in pain as the flower pot hit him but he shook it off. Quickly pushing himself up, both men heard the scrambling of Remus’ strange creations running towards him, too wide to fit on the carpet runner in the hallway. Zero-Sum turned to look at Remus, the creature disappearing as the two clashed into blows.

It was Logan’s job to be cold and calculating. He had to evaluate the situation. As long as Remus could keep Zero-Sum occupied then Logan could use his powers freely, but without his powers, Remus was less of a match against their more classically trained parent. How long would Logan need to distract Zero-Sum in order to kill him?

A terrible thought came to Logan and he pushed his powers to its maximum again. He didn’t necessarily have to kill Zero Sum, he just had to prevent him from seeing his targets. He was so focused on this he hadn’t noticed the change in the electricity or mechanisms of the house. He was focused on Zero Sum, completely locked in. Logan held his hand out again, but he was shaking. He had never tried this before, he was terrified but logically this would work.

“Focus,” He whispered as he watched Zero-Sum fight off something that Remus had created.

“Focus.” Logan heard Zero-Sum scream and cover his eye, trying to turn but being stopped by Remus.

“Your focus should be on me geezer!” Remus tackled Zero-Sum down, trapping him to the floor under a rhino. Remus was also beginning to show signs of fatigue. He wasn’t immune to the exhausting yo-yo snaps of having your powers drained and given back, but Logan only needed a little more time.

“LOGAN STOP!” Patton’s usually soft voice yelled.

He stopped, his hand dropping to his side. He was so drained. He couldn’t do it. It was the logical thing to do, but he couldn’t do it. They were going to fail because he couldn’t be cruel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what the problem with being a Disney Nerd is? When Patton yells STOP, all I can think about is the part of Hunchback of Notredame. Sorry to put that image in your head. Not sure you all will be able to get it out now. Good luck!


	39. { A Hopeless Ploy }

Roman was barely thinking about strategy, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. These people had threatened Patton and it left him with a sense of anger that worked its way down to his shaking fingers. He knew he should have been quieter but his footfalls were heavy and he blindly went to turn the corner. He was stopped. Deceit held out his hand, providing a barrier that kept the angry prince from charging into something stupid.

“After listening to Logan’s speech on traps, I’m sure the smartest thing to do is to run through this hallway without being cautious.” Deceit rolled his eyes, sarcasm dropping off every word.

“Hey, just because I’m handsome doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

“I called you neither of those things. I’m simply suggesting that you might be letting your emotions rule your thoughts right now.”

“Fine, maybe they are, but I’m still thinking. They don’t know what side I’m on yet, if you just turn into a maid or something then we could easily fool them.”

“Valid point, but I can’t turn into just anyone.” Deceit lowered his arm, looking at Roman, “And I don’t particularly like turning into new people if I can help it. Eating someone’s hair is gross.”

Roman had a feeling there was more to it than that but he didn’t argue.

“Well, who can you turn into.”

“Currently, probably Logic, Zero-Sum, the fluffy on-”

“Wait, you can turn into Zero-Sum.”

Deceit nodded, “That is what Logic wanted me to do, but you ran off before I got much of a chance.”

“I hate to admit it, but the nerd is right sometimes, and it would be to our advantage if she didn’t have access to her powers,” Roman took in a deep breath, trying to calm his anger. The problem was, with the anger gone, fear curled its way through his body. Roman would never admit it but going up against his mother scared him. She had created and held a cellphone over a long distance, for days. What else could she do? Was this house actually just a product of her abilities?

“As you wish.” Deceit began to shift and form, leaving Roman to stew in his thoughts. They weren’t alone for long. Right after Deceit had taken on the form of Zero-Sum they heard another voice down the end of the hallway, a voice that made Roman freeze and think through all of his strategies. This was not an ideal time as Deceit’s clothes were stretched against Zero-Sum’s larger frame, it was obvious, wasn’t it?

“Darling, what are you two doing still up? It’s rather late.” Mother Necessity’s voice was filled with suspicion but it was still light and gentle.

“Showing Roman back.”

Roman was ready to jump or pounce, but she smiled lightly. Was she just acting? She had proven herself to be a fine actor.

“Don’t worry about that love, I know you need to rest. I’ll go ahead and show Roman to his room.”

Deceit nodded, stepping to the side. What was he thinking, leaving Roman alone with her? Did she really think that everything was normal? He didn’t trust her. Could he trust Deceit?

His mother stepped closer and closer until she wrapped her arm around Roman’s shoulder, using him as leverage to kick Deceit in the stomach.

“I have spent over 30 years with this man, you don’t think I can’t tell when he is being impersonated?” She asked with a cold scowl, holding Roman tightly before whispering, “Get out of here son.”

She let go and Roman stood there stunned for a moment. This was all an act, right? She had been truthful to her husband, right? Still, she sounded so concerned. He had to remember she wasn’t. She only cared about his powers.

Roman stepped back before creating a morning star, Remus’ signature weapon when they fought side by side, and he swung it towards her. He knew the consequences of his actions but he also knew he needed to protect Patton. A sacrifice would have to be made.

He didn’t know when he had closed his eyes but when he opened them again his weapon was stuck deep in the drywall and circuitry of the house, his mother staring at him stunned and with growing anger.

“I see you’ve chosen your side.” She rolled her shoulders and twisted her neck as it popped. “That’s okay, it won’t change anything.” She dropped into a fighting stance Roman had never seen before and quirked her eyebrow up. There was a smug smirk on her face that Roman couldn’t stand, yet it still sent a shiver down his spine. She knew she could win.

“I won’t be defeated by you.” He let the morning star disappear, forming his sword instead. He needed to work with his strengths, he couldn’t go into this fight with only half an idea. Roman tried to run through all of his training in his head, circling his mother slowly as she watched him with the gaze of a lioness ready to pounce. For a brief moment, her eyes flickered to the wall and he knew he needed to make the first move.

Throwing himself and his sword towards her, Roman was met with only air as she dodged out of the way, jumping back into Deceit’s waiting arms, but Deceit couldn’t keep ahold of her.

“Tell me, Roman, what do you think you can accomplish?” She twisted away from her captor who stumbled forward, trying to restrain her once again. She was agile and twisted out of his grasping hands.

“Did you think you could take me down? That someone as small and insignificant as you could take over my empire?”

“I’m not here for your power, I’m here for peace!” Roman swung at her again but she again sidestepped him, frowning as she held her hand up to conjure something. It didn’t last long though as her eyes flickered from her hand to Roman and then recognition lit up her face. It was just a brief moment where her thought process seemed to change and a sly smile twisted onto her lips.

“Here for peace, yet you brandish a sword. Truly my son. You use peace in the name of your own desires. I’m actually kind of proud.”

Roman charged again, the anger welling up in him more. He didn’t realize it was baiting, that he was doing exactly what she wanted. Once again he was sidestepped, this time crashing into a wall. He felt it under his arm, a piece of the wall that indented like a button. Deceit screamed out in pain, and Roman turned to look at his companion, now surrounded by some kind of electric cage that forced him back to his normal state. Deceit crumpled to the floor.

“What did you do?”

“What did I do? That was all you, love. Besides, it evened the playing field. Don’t you heroes like fighting fair?” She began to form something in her hand and Roman knew he had to be quick.

He charged, swinging recklessly but she avoided each and every swing.

“I have always speculated that our powers are limited based on our definition of things.”

How was she not winded? It was like she was toying with him. Roman could already feel the physical drain of the fight.

“For example.” She now had a slingshot in her hair, “Per physics definitions, this is a machine.” She picked up a piece of the broken drywall, rolling out of the way of Roman’s carelessly swung sword. He was back at the wall, trying to press the button to free Deceit but it didn’t stop. He would have to finish this fight, but how was he going to win? He was used to wild chaos of Remus, and though he had fought cold and calculating in Logan, this was different, this was more intense.

Mother necessity shot the piece of sheetrock at the wall, just barely missing Roman’s head, but he wasn’t dumb enough to think she hadn’t missed on purpose. The sheetrock ricocheted off the wall and hit a glass vase filled with marbles, causing it to wobble and tip over. As they spilled on the floor Roman slipped and fell on his back. He needed to get up, he needed to stop this.

She strutted forward, her black mist beginning to cover him.

“Now, how does that idiom go?”

He felt the weight of something metal and heavy weighing him down, “Right, there’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wouldn't be happening any time soon, but if I made a discord server, would anyone be interested?


	40. { Sacrifices }

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: There is a little bit of descriptive language regarding potential body mutilation. I'm making it sound worse than it is but I really want to warn everyone. For anyone who doesn't want to read this part but still wants to read the full story, I will leave a brief summary at the bottom of the chapter.

After they had found Roman, everyone had separated into groups, Logan with Remus, Roman with Deceit, and Virgil with Patton, and Virgil wasn’t sure if he loved or hated this setup. Being close to Patton did mean that he was able to protect Patton, but he couldn’t be there for the others.

“Hey, Virgil?” Patton asked in a quiet voice. He was rarely this quiet unless something serious was on his mind.

“Yea.”

“We are only looking to take down two people? Two very powerful people, wouldn’t it have made more sense if we had been in groups of three instead.”

Virgil stopped because Patton had a point. Wouldn’t it have been better to separate them into groups of three? He and Patton could have stuck with Roman and Deceit could have gone with Remus and Logan, that would have been a much stronger setup.

“We have to find the others,”

“So you do think it’s a big deal?”

“I think it’s a bad idea that we trusted someone who had been a villain years before we heard his sob story.” How could he be so stupid, trusting Logan? Sure his words had made logical sense but where was the emotion behind them? “Not to mention a master strategist who escaped our capture multiple times.”

“It didn’t feel like he was tricking us though.” Patton held on tight to Virgil.

“Yea, but you’ve always had trouble feeling his emotions right?” Virgil pulled the two of them into the shadows, quickly running through, trying to find the others. He could read movement and he could feel a scuffle but he couldn’t see it. Virgil didn’t know what they were stumbling into as they fell out of the shadows. He had to be prepared.

Whatever he was trying to prepare for, this wasn’t it. Virgil’s breath caught as he saw Deceit laying on the ground surrounded by an electric web. His heart sank and he immediately thought the worst. This was a trap. Logan had set this up to capture them. Then came the fight or flight and he had every intention of fighting. Virgil began to use his shadows to overcome and overwhelm the electric current. His thoughts were interrupted by Patton’s scream.

“NOOOOO!”

Virgil looked up at Patton and his mind couldn’t process what he was seeing. A light blue forcefield was surrounding Roman and his mother. Black smoke was slowly disappearing from over Roman’s form, and it looked like Patton was the cause.

What was he seeing? Since when did Patton have the ability to negate powers. That was what he was seeing right? Just as the black smoke disappeared, the electric web faded off of Deceit and Virgil was able to help him slowly to his feet, his eyes trained on Patton.

“No, no, no, you will not take my powers.” Mother necessity began to stalk towards Patton. She was stopped as Roman grabbed her ankle and yanked her down to the ground with him. The blue field faded and Patton’s hands shot to his mouth, but Mother Necessity didn’t attempt to use her powers again.

“Virgil, shadows?” Roman shouted and Virgil quickly nodded, holding out his hand as his shadows wrapped around Mother Necessity, possibly stronger than they needed to be, and Roman began to make a set of shackles.

“What just happened?” He asked Patton who shook his head slowly.

“I’ve… I’ve had dreams about this, but those were just dreams?”

“Apparently not,” Deceit muttered under his breath, leaning on Virgil for stability.

“Normally, I would be all for questioning this but we don’t have time. We have to find Logan,” Virgil said, the anxiety lacing his voice.

“That pathetic excuse of wasted space will be dead before you get to him.”

“You really underestimate him.” Deceit laughed. His laugh was cut short though as he was scooped into Roman’s arms.

“If we need to hurry then we can’t dawdle. Anxiety, you watch after Mother Gothel.”

“You are leaving her alone with me?”

“Not if you figure out how to drag her along.”

Virgil frowned, debating it back and forth in his head before nodding. “I’ll meet you there.” He said as he dragged Mother Necessity into the shadows with him. He had to follow the shadows and vibrations to the other scuffle. He had to find Logan because Virgil didn’t know what was going on. His anxiety was spiraling, making red flags out of every possible transgression and he was trying to talk himself down from it was hard with all of the adrenaline that was running through his veins. He had to focus on the fight, focus on getting all of his friends out okay. Even if that meant fighting Logan.

When he stumbled out of the shadows, Mother Necessity falling to the floor, bound by his shadows, Virgil was confused for the second time in less than a minute. Remus and Zero Sum were grappling on. The floor and Logan’s eyes were glowing with an intensity Virgil had never seen before. Those beautiful blue eyes he had always been weak too looked so scared despite the power that they held and Virgil didn’t understand what was going on until he heard a choked sputter from Zero Sum. His throat pushing its way out of his skin and he heard Patton scream.

“LOGAN STOP!” Once again the blue field stretched out, covering all of them. He was going to lose his powers, they all were, but he was at peace with that. Everything the past few weeks had been so tiring. He closed his eyes and just relaxed, multiple loud thuds surrounding him. He was ready to be done with all of this.

He didn’t see Logan’s knees hit the floor; he didn’t see Remus exhaustedly flop down; he didn’t even notice when two sets of feet began to scramble away. Virgil had used too much power, and he was just tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Patton and Virgil go off looking for the two villains they are facing only for Virgil to realize it is weird that they are in three groups and not two. His anxiety kicks in and the two frantically try to find the others. They stumble across Roman and Deceit first, Roman about to be crushed under his mother's powers, but Patton discovers he has a new ability and completely takes away Mother Necessities powers. Not having time to celebrate Roman picks up Deceit and the four go looking for Logan and Remus. It takes Virgil a moment to realize that Logan is about to kill his father but before that can be done Patton uses his new ability again. Virgil passes out before we see the conclusion.
> 
> Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long, and it's not very well edited either, but hopefully now that I'm writing again on a regular y'all will get regular updates again.


	41. { Piece by Piece }

Virgil was down; Remus was down; Deceit could barely move; Roman was shaken; Patton was in shock; and Logan? Logan was on his knees, feeling an emptiness he couldn’t describe. It was deeply set in his bones, an exhaustion he couldn’t shake. It was a winter that wouldn’t lend its way to spring. It was a cold chilling numbness that kept his knees stuck to the floor, even as he heard muffled voices shout and scream. His powers were gone and all of his pieces had fallen.

This was checkmate, they would win. Everything Logan had sacrificed, every plan that he had made, it was all for naught. When had the air become so thick? When had he not been able to control the torrent of emotions in his head? Everything was stuck in his throat, every scream, every emotion, every word. He clawed at his throat. That’s what he deserved for what he was going to do. He wasn’t a good person. He had always known that so why was it just now crashing down on him with the weight of every sin he had committed.

“Focus on my voice, Logan.” His hands were slowly being pulled away from his throat.

“Focus on my voice. We are going to breathe in slowly, follow me.” Instead of his own throat, Logan’s fingers sunk into the hands that were now holding his. He could feel waves of calming energy clearing the fog of his mind but there was still an intense fear and pain that was sitting in his heart. At any moment his parents could come back.

“It’s okay, focus on the here and now, look up at me.” Logan slowly brought himself to look up at Patton who had one had on his shoulder. He hadn’t even felt the weight. Patton’s own eyes were misted with tears and Logan was acutely aware that they might be because of him.

“There you are, keep breathing, slow deep breaths.” It took a few more minutes before Logan was able to breathe normally. Patton, the Bishop, never attacking straight ahead. He was safe and unharmed. Small miracles.

Logan began to push himself up, though the empty weight of his body still clung to every part of him.

“We need to get out of here.” Logan’s normally calm voice shook with the effort of speaking, his voice only faltering more as he put weight on his leg. He really did need to let it heal.

“On it Specs,” Remus was already creating, despite how tired he also looked. He formed something that might have looked like a camel at one time but had a strange way about it that Logan couldn’t describe as being anything camel-like. Really the only resemblance was the humps that separated out ‘seats’ for all of them. “Can you get me some stairs bro?”

Roman hesitated, reaching out his hand to create and a look of pure relief lit up his face as he was able to create a set of stairs. There were a lot of questions to have and a lot of things to be confused about but Logan was too tired to ask questions right now. Patton helped everyone onto the beast and they began to leave the house behind. Logan wanted nothing more than to burn down that building right now, but he was so worn out.

“ReRe, you okay?” Patton asked as he reached out for his boyfriend’s hand. Logan didn’t see the response but considering Patton didn’t immediately start doting on Remus, Logan assumed that he was okay. Remus, the knight, who could travel in his own creative way across the board, was okay.

“Is everyone else okay?” Logan asked quietly.

“Deceit and I are okay.”

The pawned turned rook and the other knight.

“I’ve been better,” Virgil groaned a bit, sleep lacing his voice.

The Queen.

Everyone was okay. He had been the only piece taken out of the game.

“Good, good,” Logan muttered before letting his body slump, exhaustion overcoming him completely.

He had been naive to think that it was checkmate, he was relieved it hadn’t been. His parents didn’t win, they had only escaped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short, and I don't like that. I'm actually not a fan of this chapter in general, however, I am proud that I stuck to my schedule and we are going to celebrate the small victories! Hopefully, next chapter will be better, we are reaching the end of the story.


	42. { Clearing the Board }

The car was silent. Only the bumps in the road could be heard over the thinking minds of the car’s occupants. No one knew what words to say in this situation. What could you say when someone had lost their powers? Each of the other men looked back at Logan, but he didn’t notice. His head had once again caved in with the reality of his situation.

He was powerless.

Something that had been a part of him his entire life was completely gone and he could feel the echos in his body that remained. It felt like his powers were still there, still able for him to reach out and use them, but nothing came of it.

Logan let out a breath that was supposed to be steadying but instead rattled through his body, filling up the empty spots that had once been full. It caught in his throat before fully escaping.

Virgil noticed. He broke the silence in the car. “What now?” He asked quietly, putting his hand on Logan’s leg.

“I…” What could Logan say, he wasn’t sure, he didn’t know what the next step was because he had never foreseen this as a possible outcome. “I don’t know.”

“The almighty king doesn’t know something.” It was meant to be teasing. Logan was giving him a weak smile, but it only made Logan feel worse. How was he supposed to protect all of these people, the people he had dragged into danger? How was he supposed to protect his brothers? Logan’s mind stalled as Virgil gently gave his knee a reassuring squeeze.

“I don’t know, Prince Do-To-Much isn’t being a know it all your thing.” Virgil was there to cut in, giving Roman a look that he didn’t seem to get.

Roman feigned offense, his hand reaching up to his chest. “Alas, you advertise your loyalty, I shall have to see you beheaded next spring.”

“Awe, I have to wait until spring? That’s too many days.”

The banter made Logan relax a little as his own hand reached out for Virgil’s. He needed the strength and Virgil was a grounding force.

“I would be remiss if you were to behead him.” Logan’s voice came out quietly but there was a hint of attempted humor.

“Well, I guess I can renounce my anger just this once for my least favorite brother.”

“How magnanimous of you, your highness.” Logan’s voice was completely dry.

Virgil squeezed his hand softly again. A less tense silence began to fall but Logan wasn’t ready for it.

“My next move is to go after my parents.”

“Nope, sorry Kiddo, that is vetoed,” Patton said from the front seat. “You are injured, and you have been pushing yourself too hard. This was a hard battle for all of us. Your next move is to rest.” Patton’s voice was sweet and soft but his shoulders were tense like he was waiting to be yelled at.

Logan wanted to yell. He wanted to scream and get angry at Patton for what he had done, but he couldn’t. He knew that Patton’s actions were justified and though it left Logan feeling empty and hollow, Patton had done what he thought was right. From his point of view, it was right. Logan wasn’t going to hesitate to kill his parents. He knew what he had needed to do, but Patton didn’t see it that way. Patton thought that all life was worth being spared.

“I agree with Pat, you need to rest, Lo.” Virgil rolled his eyes at Logan’s obvious hesitance.

“That still does not necessarily answer the question at hand. Are we all going back to the house although it might be compromised? Are we going back to the apartment which is certainly compromised? Are we sticking together as a large group, or are we going our separate ways?”

“I’m staying with Roman and Patton,” Remus called out, refusing to be separated from his brother and his boyfriend.

“I’m not opposed to sticking around the tangled twins of chaos, it’s entertaining.” Janus said, “Though I think Sleep and the fluffy one are going to want their own space.”

Logan nodded slowly. That just left him and Virgil, and Virgil was looking at him with a smirk. Over the chaos of just the past week, Virgil had been a constant, a safe place that he could go to. Logan had started out trying to manipulate Virgil, treating him like a pawn but Logan really did see Virgil as the most powerful piece on his chessboard, and the piece to keep protected. Logan wasn’t very useful anymore.

“Why not stick with us? Might be nice to have a mastermind genius around.”

Logan looked down at his hands, one still wrapped in Virgil’s. He wasn’t going to be as useful without his powers, but he still had his intelligence. Virgil still wanted him around for his intelligence. He could still be useful. “I believe it would be suitable for me to stay.”

“Then we can go back to the house, and we can work on our Home security.” Patton smiled, the chipperness lacing his voice. “They don’t have powers anymore.” He had an optimistic outlook on the future.

Logan was tempted to remind Patton that underestimating those two could be a death sentence, but he could remind them of that later. For now, though, he would rest and relax. He would finally let himself heal, and when he was ready, he would form a new plan. 


	43. { Changing the Rules }

It was only due to Virgil’s hand in his, that Logan didn’t spiral the entire trip. Each time he began to slide down a thought path that pulled his mind to his parents, Virgil would give his hand a gentle squeeze, grounding Logan. He would be pulled back to the present, the fear slipping to the back of his mind for just a moment. Logan was just barely holding it together.

As they reached the house, everyone looked back at Logan before quietly getting out of the van. They didn’t know what to say, and he didn’t know what he wanted them to say. He didn’t like all of their attention on him. Logan was used to slipping into the shadows, being ignored, having space to think!

“Logan breath, slow deep breaths, follow me.”

When had he stopped breathing?

Virgil took Logan’s hand, slowly placing it on Virgil’s chest as he exaggerated his breathing.

“We are still alive.”

Facts, beautiful grounding facts.

“As a group, we are stronger.”

Debatable, but it was still helping.

“Your parents are without their powers, it will be harder for them to hurt Roman and Remus.”

But his parents still had knowledge, and wasn’t knowledge a cruel and terrifying thing in the wrong hands?

“You are brilliant. You have protected the twins multiple times. You can do it again.”

“I didn’t protect you.” Logan choked out as soon as his breath had caught up to him. A poor choice as the minute he spoke his breathing became irregular again.

“You and I remember that very differently, Specs. I probably would have died without you. Yeah my powers are different now and I’m not super happy about that, but that’s not your fault.”

Logan closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath. “There was a statistical probability that you would have lived without my intervention.”

“And how likely was I to live with your… intervention.”

Logan smiled weakly. He knew what Virgil was trying to do and it was helping a lot. “The- The probability of your survival was marginally more, but…” A breath of hesitation as Logan drew in much-needed oxygen, “enough that the risk was worth it.”

“So then I probably wouldn’t have survived without you.” Virgil had a cheeky grin on his face and Logan couldn’t help but roll his eyes, smiling fondly. His hands were shaking but his vision was clearer and more focused. His breathing was a bit more stable.

“I do not count this as a win for you.” Logan felt a bit of calmness that he knew was his own, rather than the manufactured calm of Patton’s powers. Virgil was right, they were stronger together, and Logan had saved the twins before. “Virgil, may I ask you a question?”

Virgil shrugged, “I might not answer.”

“You have that right.” Logan took in another deep breath. “Why did you trust me when I first came to your apartment?”

“I didn’t, but you needed help.”

“Then why did you trust me not to lead you into a trap?”

Virgil pulled at the threads of his jeans, thinking about his words, “I don’t think it was that simple, but as you were planning, you seemed so earnest. Anytime I had a question you answered it. I don’t think I really started trusting you until you saved my life, because I saw the way he treated you. I know what that’s like.”

Logan nodded, his eyes glazing a bit before Virgil brought him back with another squeeze of his hand.

“I know it’s hard but focus on right now.” Virgil leaned against him. “We can worry about the future and the past tomorrow, and trust me, I worry a lot,” He joked.

Logan let out a short puff of air. “Yeah, I guess.”

“My turn to ask you a question. Why come to me?”

“There was never anyone else.”

That obviously took Virgil by surprise as he let go of Logan’s hand. “What?”

“Although we were always playing the role of hero and villain I always thought that, under different circumstances, you and I would have been a strong pair. You have a specific way of looking at the world that allows you to see potential problems. I typically do not see all of the problems during a situation, I do better with information that has been given to me ahead of time. I believe we would have balanced each other out well, so I gathered more information on you. Then I learned we would possibly be compatible relationally as well, so when my hour of need came, you were the only one I could have gone to.”

There was also the fact that Logan knew he might be able to convince Deceit to turn on his parents, but even before he had known, Virgil was always his choice.

Virgil was silent for a while before asking. “Do you still think that?”

“That we would make decent partners? I wouldn’t stick around in this group if I didn’t.”

“No, that we are relationally compatible.”

“More so now than ever before.”

Logan wasn’t sure what happened, but the next thing he knew, Virgil’s hand was on his face. Then Virgil’s lips were on his and Logan was certain that his brain had short-circuited. All thoughts left his mind other than Virgil, and there was nothing in the world except for the man in front of him.

Closing his eyes, Logan kissed back, resting his hand on the seat between them so that he could lean more into the kiss. It felt like forever. It felt like an instant. All Logan really knew was that it felt right. When Virgil finally pulled away, Logan’s mind still hadn’t fully restarted yet.

“Don’t get used to that L, but, maybe, I might be interested in pursuing something with you.” His smile was soft and reassuring, but there was an anxious look in his eyes. Logan barely caught it as Virgil began to climb out of the car, leaving him to sort out his thoughts. His fingers gently ghosted over his lips. Logan had lost a lot today, he had lost the battle, he had lost his powers, but at this moment, this one singular moment, he couldn’t be bothered to care. A sigh left his lips once Virgil was gone and he tried to control the blush on his face. This day really would change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for going on this journey with me! As of right now, I am planning on writing a sequel that deals more with Logan's struggles after loosing his powers as well as the dynamic of the group. However, before I even think about posting it I have to outline and I might want to write another book in-between that one and this one. Not to mention I want to go through and write second chapters for all of my one-shots that had second chapter requests.
> 
> Feel free to leave any comments or questions you have; I'm always happy to answer them, and if you would like to be updated on when those one-shots are posted please subscribe. 
> 
> Have a great day! Raven.


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